Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to hunch forward

to hunch forward

2 4.4
Bend your upper body forward and round your shoulders, often when you feel cold or tired
  • phrasal verb
  • /hʌntʃ ˈfɔːrwərd/
translation icon : encorvarse
  • I realized I'd sat down in front of her the way I usually sat in front of the television, hunched forward a little, squinting.
  • hunched forward on the sofa
  • hunched forward in his chair
  • hunched forward slightly

Examples

  • Her hands were clenched, and her body was still hunched forward on the edge of the seat.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • "What was he thinking?" Candy whispered, slowly hunching forward in her chair.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • His hands are on his hips, and he is hunched forward as if he cannot believe what he sees.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • "Hunching forward over the table, Dan said, "You can talk the talk, Zack."

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Robert Hart was hunched forward on the sofa, and an old man was being interviewed on the TV.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Jack hunched forward, fighting the wheel, coming in and out of controlled skids.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • After a moment, she seemed to shudder, then she pushed me away, hunched forward, and slipped her shirt on.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • We sit cross-legged on the gym floor, hunched forward, waiting for the loud, ragged voice.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Dan Randolph leaned both elbows on the rickety table and hunched forward in his chair.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • She hunches forward over her laptop, trying to concentrate on her work.

Synonyms

to bend
vsto hunch forward
194 1.0

To lean forward at the waist

focuses on rounding shoulders for hiding rather than simple waist movement
to hunch
vsto hunch forward
51 4.2

To bend forward and pull the shoulders in so the back rounds

rounds shoulders to hide or protect rather than only for posture
to stoop
vsto hunch forward
27 2.6

To bend your body forward at the waist

uses shoulder rounding for protection rather than waist movement
to hump
vsto hunch forward
23 5.4

To bend forward and curve the upper back by pushing the shoulders forward

arches the back to protect or hide rather than to form a shape
to slouch
vsto hunch forward
22 4.6

To sit, stand, or walk with the shoulders and head bent forward in a lazy way

has a protective or hiding motive rather than lazy posture
to hunch over
vsto hunch forward
17 4.2

Bend forward with rounded shoulders and back

tilts the upper body to hide or protect rather than to focus

Antonyms

to stand
∞ 1.0

To be or put something in an upright position

to unbend
4.9

Make a part straight after it becomes curved

How Bent

to hunch forward
2 4.4
to stoop
27 2.6
to bend
194 1.0
to stand up
27 1.0

Surface Forms

hunch forward infinitive
hunched forward past
hunched forward past participle
hunching forward present participle
hunches forward third person singular

Morphology

hunch + forward

The meaning 'to bend your body forward and round your shoulders' is directly and transparently built from 'hunch' (to bend forward and round the back) plus 'forward' (toward the front), with the adverb simply specifying direction. This follows a common verb + directional adverb pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb hunch forward comes from the image of someone pulling their shoulders up (hunch) and moving their body forward into a small, rounded shape. So it came to mean 'to bend your body forward' often when you are 'cold', 'tired', or 'nervous'.