hunker

[huhng-ker]

See more synonyms for hunker on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to squat on one's heels (often followed by down).
Informal.
1. to hunch: The driver hunkered over the steering wheel.
2. to hide, hide out, or take shelter (usually followed by down): The escaped convicts hunkered down in a cave in the mountains.
3. to hold resolutely or stubbornly to a policy, opinion, etc., when confronted by criticism, opposition, or unfavorable circumstances (usually followed by down): Though all the evidence was against him, he hunkered down and refused to admit his guilt.
Slang. to lumber along; walk or move slowly or aimlessly.

noun

hunkers, one's haunches.

Idioms

on one's hunkers,
1. British Informal.squatting on one's heels.
2. suffering a period of poverty, bad luck, or the like.

Origin of hunker

1710–20; apparently hunk (perhaps nasalized variant of huck haunch; akin to Old Norse hūka to crouch) + -er⁶

Hunker

[huhng-ker]

noun

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

Compare Barnburner(def 3).

Origin of Hunker

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; origin uncertain

Related formsHun·ker·ism, nounHun·ker·ous, adjectiveHun·ker·ous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for hunker

huddle, squat, hunch, cower, wince, grovel, bow, stoop, bend, duck, quail, dip, kneel, quat

Examples from the Web for hunker

Contemporary Examples of hunker

When life gets traumatic do you prefer to hunker down and grieve in private, or open up to others?
Psychologists View Both Divorce and Marriage as Major Life Stresses
Emma Woolf
May 12, 2014
“The news is slanting in different directions,” Tom complains as he and Vickie hunker down in a bar.
No Fireworks on Al Jazeera America’s Plodding Debut
Lloyd Grove
August 21, 2013
But I had to hunker down and do my job, live shot after live shot.
There’s No Crying in Journalism—Even After the Horrifying Connecticut School Shootings
Lauren Ashburn
December 16, 2012
“Hunker down” was also the advice given—though much more avuncularly—by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Which Politician Best Navigated Hurricane Sandy’s Surge?
Michelle Cottle
October 31, 2012
Ignoring warnings to hunker down, determined New Yorkers go about their business—and hit the bars.
As Sandy Heads for NYC, Brooklyn Locals Jog, Ogle—and Get Drunk
Eliza Shapiro
October 29, 2012

Historical Examples of hunker

They had struck it rich on a property they had bought on Hunker.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service
Hunker reported that they had discovered no trace of the missing man.
Frank Merriwell's Son
Burt L. Standish
"I was going over to Hunker Creek myself," concluded Wodley.
To Alaska for Gold
Edward Stratemeyer
There was a political meeting (Hunker) at the capitol, but I pass'd it by.
Complete Prose Works
Walt Whitman
The silver-gray whig shakes hands with the hunker democrat; the former only differing from the latter in name.
My Bondage and My Freedom
Frederick Douglass

British Dictionary definitions for hunker

hunker

verb

(intr often foll by down) to squat; crouch

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

Word Origin and History for hunker

"to squat, crouch," 1720, Scottish, of uncertain origin, possibly from a Scandinavian source, cf. Old Norse huka "to crouch," hoka, hokra "to crawl." Hunker down, Southern U.S. dialectal phrase, popularized c.1965, from northern British hunker "haunch." Related: Hunkered; hunkering.