Hunker

¹ 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 ² 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. 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 British  

/ ˈhʌŋkə /

verb

1. to squat; crouch

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Other Word Forms

• Hunkerism noun
• Hunkerous adjective
• Hunkerousness noun

Etymology

Origin of Hunker¹

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; origin uncertain

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

Example Sentences

They said early Sunday that they were unified, hunkered down and ready to ride out any American incursion.

From The Wall Street Journal

And it is a highly bingeable product that will satisfy Americans in their Snuggies, hunkering down on the couch to welcome in a new year.

From The Wall Street Journal

"In a five-day Test match, you should hunker down. Wafting outside 'sixth stump' areas has never been in the textbooks, and that is mainly the fault of the top order."

From BBC

He is hunkering down after his employer and others in the industry recently announced layoffs and expense cuts.

From The Wall Street Journal

Although AI plays have since bounced off their lows, the real action has been elsewhere in the market—including riskier areas that show investors aren’t just hunkering down.

From Barron's