HUNKER Definition & Meaning

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hunker

[ huhng-ker ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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.
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.
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 phrase

hunker down.

Hunker

[ huhng-ker ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

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

hunker

/ ˈ��ʌŋ��ə /

verb

introften foll bydown to squat; crouch

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Other 51�Թ� Forms

��ܲ�k��·�� noun
��ܲ�k��·�ǳܲ� adjective
��ܲ�k��·�ǳܲ�·ness noun

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of hunker¹

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

Origin of hunker²

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; origin uncertain

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Idioms and Phrases

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

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Instead, they may hunker down for an arid summer and then — if rain is sufficient — bloom in the spring of 2026, Becker said.

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Monuments typically limit camping to particular areas, he said as an example, while some people want to be able to hunker down far from other people.

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While keen surfers have been taking advantage of the wind and waves, most residents are hunkering down indoors.

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Except sometimes it took a while to hunker down at night.

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Those living in or around recently burned areas should plan to leave their homes before the storm or, if they choose to remain at home, hunker down and stay off the roads.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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