hunker down
phrasal verb
hunkered down; hunkering down; hunkers down
chiefly US
1
: to lower the body to the ground by bending the legs
The hikers hunkered down under a cliff until the storm passed.
2
: to stay in a place for a period of time
The leaders hunkered down at a country estate for difficult peace negotiations.
Examples of hunker down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
New bass will find the beds in the meantime, and then those fish will often hunker down near the beds and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.
—
Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 9 May 2024
Nate Smith is hunkered down in a Nashville studio working on his forthcoming second album — but the rising country-rocker can’t help but revisit his past.
—Lyndsey Havens, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Two Mediterranean-style homes sit on this generous plot in the San Fernando Valley, and David is hunkered down in the one closest to the street, which houses the couple’s production company, Yoruba Saxon, its name a nod to their respective cultural heritages.
—Jen Wang, Robb Report, 28 Apr. 2024
But other residents have hunkered down, unable — or unwilling — to leave.
—Emile Ducke Thomas Gibbons-Neff, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
For the recording, the band hunkered down with their longtime engineer Steve Christensen’s studio in their hometown of Houston, Texas.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 5 Apr. 2024
But 30 years ago, a whole generation of Americans learned how to dig in, hunker down, and take sides with their tribes.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
Since then, rotating detachments of Filipino marines have been living on board, hunkering down through tropical heat, typhoons and long spells away from home in a bid to assert territorial rights and prevent any Chinese development there.
—Rebecca Wright, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
Americans armed with cash from stimulus checks and hunkering down at home went on spending sprees.
—Paul Davidson, The Courier-Journal, 22 Jan. 2024
Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 9 May 2024
Nate Smith is hunkered down in a Nashville studio working on his forthcoming second album — but the rising country-rocker can’t help but revisit his past.
—Lyndsey Havens, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Two Mediterranean-style homes sit on this generous plot in the San Fernando Valley, and David is hunkered down in the one closest to the street, which houses the couple’s production company, Yoruba Saxon, its name a nod to their respective cultural heritages.
—Jen Wang, Robb Report, 28 Apr. 2024
But other residents have hunkered down, unable — or unwilling — to leave.
—Emile Ducke Thomas Gibbons-Neff, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
For the recording, the band hunkered down with their longtime engineer Steve Christensen’s studio in their hometown of Houston, Texas.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 5 Apr. 2024
But 30 years ago, a whole generation of Americans learned how to dig in, hunker down, and take sides with their tribes.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
Since then, rotating detachments of Filipino marines have been living on board, hunkering down through tropical heat, typhoons and long spells away from home in a bid to assert territorial rights and prevent any Chinese development there.
—Rebecca Wright, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
Americans armed with cash from stimulus checks and hunkering down at home went on spending sprees.
—Paul Davidson, The Courier-Journal, 22 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hunker down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hunker down
Cite this Entry
“Hunker down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunker%20down. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
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