hunched; hunching; hunches
1
2
: to thrust or bend (someone or something) over into a humped or crooked position
hunched his shoulders as he headed out into the storm
sat hunched over the table reading a map
kept his … body hunched slightly forward—
Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams1
: to thrust oneself forward
hunched along for a short spell of safe steps—T. B. Costain
T. B. Costain2
a
: to assume a bent or crooked posture
folded his hands on the table and hunched forward—Hugh MacLennan
Hugh MacLennan
b
: to draw oneself into a ball : curl up
hunch beneath the covers—Randall Jarrell
Randall Jarrell1
: an act or instance of pushing someone or something in a rough or careless manner : an act or instance of hunching (see hunch entry 1 sense transitive)
give him a good hunch with your foot—Abraham Tucker
Abraham Tucker2
3
: a strong intuitive feeling concerning especially a future event or result
had a hunch I would find you here
Synonyms
Examples of hunch in a Sentence
Verb
He hunched his shoulders as he headed out into the storm.
he hunched next to a bush to avoid being seen
Noun
My hunch is that the stock is going to go up in value.
“How did you know I'd be here?” “It was just a hunch.”
Recent Examples on the WebWesley Morris, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023
His father slumped in his seat, hunched over as each guilty verdict came in.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 3 Nov. 2023
Two teachers managed to escape through the smashed windows and brought several of the children out with them.
Salem, hunched in the bus, had managed to open some of the side windows.
—Nathan Thrall, Curbed, 25 Oct. 2023
Kate and Paul had both hunched down out of the woman’s sight line.
—Emma Cline, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
Spending long periods of time working at a desk or hunched over a smartphone can cause your deltoids (also known as delts or shoulders) and lower back to round forward.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 23 Oct. 2023
With each security breach, falsehood and bigoted assumption, the contestants hunched over their laptops exulted.
—Will Oremus, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Aug. 2023
The device has adjustable backpack-style straps to pull your shoulders back and prevent hunching.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2023
No more hunching or struggling to reach those tricky corners.
—Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2023
WIRED, 5 Nov. 2023
Tom operates in his own leisurely zone of deduction and holds his hunches close to the vest, something that del Toro is an ace at.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 26 Sep. 2023
So, if her hunches are more eerie than endearing, here's how to switch them off:
Launch the Alexa app, find More at the screen's base, and tap it.
—Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, 30 Sep. 2023
Just a hunch, but the new manager probably doesn’t work for the Guardians at this time.
—Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 9 Sep. 2023
Our hunch is Kelly will opt for the safe pick and give himself the option to elevate Moore at the first sign of trouble.
—Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 25 Aug. 2023
The hunch here is that ownership was fine with quasi-contention.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Sep. 2023
Chasing Tim Tebow, idolizing Tom Brady, fighting fires: Making of Colts QB Anthony Richardson
More:Colts will use RB-by-committee approach despite return of Zack Moss
The Jaguars probably have a few hunches.
—The Indianapolis Star, 6 Sep. 2023
The White House shares the hunch that the pessimism has a lot to do with media coverage.
—Laura Gersony, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2023
See More
Verb
For another, hunched over a round table was James Brolin.
—Wesley Morris, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023
His father slumped in his seat, hunched over as each guilty verdict came in.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 3 Nov. 2023
Two teachers managed to escape through the smashed windows and brought several of the children out with them.
Salem, hunched in the bus, had managed to open some of the side windows.
—Nathan Thrall, Curbed, 25 Oct. 2023
Kate and Paul had both hunched down out of the woman’s sight line.
—Emma Cline, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
Spending long periods of time working at a desk or hunched over a smartphone can cause your deltoids (also known as delts or shoulders) and lower back to round forward.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 23 Oct. 2023
With each security breach, falsehood and bigoted assumption, the contestants hunched over their laptops exulted.
—Will Oremus, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Aug. 2023
The device has adjustable backpack-style straps to pull your shoulders back and prevent hunching.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2023
No more hunching or struggling to reach those tricky corners.
—Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2023
Noun
As astronomers lift the veil of the early universe, academic hunches outnumber concrete answers.
—WIRED, 5 Nov. 2023
Tom operates in his own leisurely zone of deduction and holds his hunches close to the vest, something that del Toro is an ace at.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 26 Sep. 2023
So, if her hunches are more eerie than endearing, here's how to switch them off:
Launch the Alexa app, find More at the screen's base, and tap it.
—Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, 30 Sep. 2023
Just a hunch, but the new manager probably doesn’t work for the Guardians at this time.
—Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 9 Sep. 2023
Our hunch is Kelly will opt for the safe pick and give himself the option to elevate Moore at the first sign of trouble.
—Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 25 Aug. 2023
The hunch here is that ownership was fine with quasi-contention.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Sep. 2023
Chasing Tim Tebow, idolizing Tom Brady, fighting fires: Making of Colts QB Anthony Richardson
More:Colts will use RB-by-committee approach despite return of Zack Moss
The Jaguars probably have a few hunches.
—The Indianapolis Star, 6 Sep. 2023
The White House shares the hunch that the pessimism has a lot to do with media coverage.
—Laura Gersony, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hunch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
origin unknown
First Known Use
Verb
1581, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun
1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing hunch
Dictionary Entries Near hunch
Cite this Entry
“Hunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunch. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
hunch
1 of 2 verb1
: to push oneself forward by jerks
hunch nearer the fire
2
: to bend one's body into an arch or hump
were hunched over the table
3
: to draw up close together or into an arch
hunched my shoulders
hunch
2 of 2 noun2
: a strong feeling about what will happen : intuition
More from Merriam-Webster on hunch
Nglish: Translation of hunch for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of hunch for Arabic Speakers
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