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
Restaurants aren’t full. CEOs, worried about consumers hunkering down, do the same.
—
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2025
The reaction across the region ranged from frantic stockpiling to confused bewilderment to calmly hunkering down and making do with old-fashioned electricity-free ways of living.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
So the takeaway is this: resist the urge to draw close and hunker down.
—John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Matt Gelb chronicles how the Phillies third baseman hunkered down in Texas over the winter and is convinced all of this is happening for a reason.
—Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hunker down
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Matt Egan, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2025
The reaction across the region ranged from frantic stockpiling to confused bewilderment to calmly hunkering down and making do with old-fashioned electricity-free ways of living.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
So the takeaway is this: resist the urge to draw close and hunker down.
—John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Matt Gelb chronicles how the Phillies third baseman hunkered down in Texas over the winter and is convinced all of this is happening for a reason.
—Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hunker down
Cite this Entry
“Hunker down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunker%20down. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
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