hunker
[ huhng-ker ]
/ ˈhʌŋ kər /
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verb (used without object)
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.
- to hunch: The driver hunkered over the steering wheel.
- 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.
- 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.
Slang. to lumber along; walk or move slowly or aimlessly: A small black bear was seen hunkering through the neighborhood.
noun
hunkers, one's haunches.
Verb Phrases
hunker down. See entry at hunker down.
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Idioms about hunker
- British Informal. squatting on one's heels.
- suffering a period of poverty, bad luck, or the like.
on one's hunkers,
Origin of hunker
First recorded in 1710–20; apparently hunk (perhaps nasalized variant of huck “haunch”; akin to Old Norse hūka “to crouch”) + -er6
Other definitions for hunker (2 of 2)
Hunker
[ huhng-ker ]
/ ˈhʌŋ kər /
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
OTHER WORDS FROM Hunker
Hun·ker·ism, nounHun·ker·ous, adjectiveHun·ker·ous·ness, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use hunker in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for hunker
hunker
/ (ˈhʌŋkə) /
verb
(intr often foll by down) to squat; crouch
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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