hunker

¹

[huhng-ker]

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.

noun

1. hunkers, one's haunches.

verb phrase

1. hunker down.,  hunker down.

Hunker

²

[huhng-ker]

noun

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

hunker

/ ˈhʌŋkə /

verb

1. to squat; crouch

Other Word Forms

• Hunkerism noun
• Hunkerous adjective
• Hunkerousness noun

Word History and Origins

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

Businesses, meanwhile, are hunkering down for more rocky times ahead for U.S.-China commerce.

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So you hunker down and give in to the alpha male.

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Mahan socked money away during the summer months and hunkered down in the slow times, before things started picking up around the New Year.

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Instead of making a run for it, he resolves to hunker down until the heat is off.

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Gee Gee Rosell, who lives on Hatteras Island, stopped by her store Buxton Village Books on Wednesday to unpack a new shipment and manage orders from residents before they hunker down.

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