hunker down

phrasal verb

hunkered down; hunkering down; hunkers down

chiefly US

: to lower the body to the ground by bending the legs

The hikers hunkered down under a cliff until the storm passed.

: 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 Around midnight, my fellow castmates, orchestra members, and myself were hunkered down for the eight-hour journey. —

Christina Ray Stanton, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2024 Financial activities Share of workers 55 and older: 26.3% The staid investment banks, insurance companies and real estate firms that comprise this sector are populated by many older workers who tend to hunker down for long tenures, and fewer young people. —

Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 24 July 2024 During the heat of the day, the caterpillars tend to hunker down close to the soil under the canopy of the grass, says Waltz. —

Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2024 Luckily, her neighbor in the artist colony where she was hunkered down owned an art store, and opened it for Di Novi. —

Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 2 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hunker down

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.