Dictionary.com

hunch

[ huhnch ]
/ hʌntʃ /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: hunch / hunched on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
to thrust out or up in a hump; arch: to hunch one's back.
to shove, push, or jostle.
verb (used without object)
to thrust oneself forward jerkily; lunge forward.
to stand, sit, or walk in a bent posture.
noun
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of hunch

1590–1600; 1900–05 for def. 5; apparently variant of obsolete hinch to push, shove, kick < ?

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hunch

haunch, hunch
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hunch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hunch

hunch
/ (hʌntʃ) /

noun
an intuitive guess or feeling
another word for hump
a lump or large piece
verb
to bend or draw (oneself or a part of the body) up or together
(intr usually foll by up) to sit in a hunched position

Word Origin for hunch

C16: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK