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• hunker
  hunker

  verb (used without object)

  to crouch or squat on one's heels.
• Hunker
  Hunker

  noun

  a member of the conservative faction in the Democratic Party in New York State, 1845–48.

hunker

¹ American  

[huhng-ker] / ˈhʌŋ kər /

verb (used without object)

1. to crouch or squat on one's heels.

   He hunkered to be at eye level with his dog.

   I can’t hunker with this bad knee.

2. 1. to hunch.

      The driver hunkered over the steering wheel.

   2. to hide, hide out, or take shelter, often for just a few hours or less, as from a pursuer or a storm.

      The escaped convicts hunkered in a cave in the mountains.

   3. to settle in to the safety of one’s home or other designated shelter for a potentially prolonged time, as would be necessitated by a natural disaster or an outbreak of a contagious disease.

      Many local residents hunkered in the basement of the fire station.

3. Slang. to lumber along; walk or move slowly or aimlessly.

   A small black bear was seen hunkering through the neighborhood.

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noun

1. hunkers, one's haunches.

verb phrase

1. hunker down. see hunker down.

idioms

1. on one's hunkers,

   1. British Informal. squatting on one's heels.

   2. suffering a period of poverty, bad luck, or the like.

Hunker ² American  

[huhng-ker] / ˈhʌŋ kər /

noun

1. a member of the conservative faction in the Democratic Party in New York State, 1845–48.

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hunker British  

/ ˈhʌŋkə /

verb

1. to squat; crouch

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Other Word Forms

• Hunkerism
  noun
• Hunkerous
  adjective
• Hunkerousness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of hunker¹

First recorded in 1710–20; apparently hunk (perhaps nasalized variant of huck “haunch”; akin to Old Norse hūka “to crouch”) + -er ⁶

Origin of Hunker²

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; origin uncertain

Explanation

To hunker is to crouch: to bend your body into a low, small shape. When you're playing hide and seek, you may decide to hunker in the back of a closet until you're found. You hunker physically when you're hiding or making space for other people or squatting to talk to a small child. You can also hunker figuratively, like when you hunker down in your house during a snowstorm, waiting to venture out until the roads have been plowed. Another way to hunker down is to focus on a task and work extra hard. We know hunker is a Scottish word, but beyond that its origins aren't clear.

Example Sentences

Local authorities advised residents to hunker down, with rain forecast for the next day and a half.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

That includes using drones for tasks that once would have required sending a soldier to the danger zone, having troops hunker down in underground bunkers, and increasing efforts to evade detection.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

When smoke billowed from the damaged Fairmont The Palm hotel, he decided to hunker down.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Determined to survive, Iran might initially hunker down or seek to draw out any conflict.

From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026

At the mere glimpse of one of the nibbling, button-eyed, bushy-tailed creatures, the children would freeze to attention, stare, hunker down, and approach silently in low, even crouches until within striking distance.

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood