to hunker
39
7.5
- verb
- /ˈhʌŋkər/
:
ponerse en cuclillas
- During wartime, civilians either hunker down in their homes or flee war-torn regions and become refugees.
- hunker down and wait
Examples
-
In his sleep, David hunkered against her backside and draped a heavy arm over her waist.
Fiction book (1990) -
So a lot of people just hunkered down in their places.
-
And in order to do them well, you have to really, really hunker down and do the hard work.
-
So let's hunker down and get right into it.
-
Highway patrol says stay off the roads, hunker down where you are.
-
They're telling people to find some place safe - and hunker down.
-
They said to hunker down and wait for the National Guard or, you know, whatever.
-
It's okay, kitties, we'll just hunker down and ride out the storm.
-
However, the Iranians may hunker down for the long haul, much as they did during the 8-year Iran-Iraq war.
Academic text (2012) -
During the storm, we had to hunker down in the basement for safety.
Synonyms
102
1.8
To crouch or kneel down to a lower position
65
1.8
To lower your body close to the ground by bending your knees and leaning forward
28
3.4
To bend your knees, lower your body, then stand up
8
6.0
Bend your knees and sit on your heels
3
4.2
To lower your body quickly by bending your knees to avoid being seen or hit
1
4.3
To crouch down close to the ground by bending the knees
1
8.5
To crouch with knees bent and body close to the ground ready to move
Antonyms
Phrasal Verbs
How Low
Surface Forms
Etymology
Hunker probably comes from an old dialect word meaning 'to crouch' or 'to sit on the heels', so it gives a clear picture of lowering your body close to the ground. That's why to hunker down means to squat close to the ground or take cover.