hunkered; hunkering
ˈhəŋ-k(ə-)riŋ 
2
: to settle in or dig in for a sustained period
—used with down
hunker down for a good long wait—
New Yorker
New YorkerExamples of hunker in a Sentence
had to hunker down so no one would see him behind the gate
Recent Examples on the Web
Women hunkered in a bare basement; men hunkered in a bare prayer hall.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 12 May 2025
Pete Marocco has spent much of this month hunkered in an office suite on the seventh floor of the State Department overseeing the dismantling of the architecture for how the United States delivers foreign aid.
—Mark Mazzetti, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
January is a cold, dark month, with many of us low in funds and hunkering in survival mode.
—Carl Anka, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
The scene was simple: a security robot hunkered in a repair cubicle, mending its injuries.
—Meghan Herbst, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hunker
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Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 12 May 2025
Pete Marocco has spent much of this month hunkered in an office suite on the seventh floor of the State Department overseeing the dismantling of the architecture for how the United States delivers foreign aid.
—Mark Mazzetti, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
January is a cold, dark month, with many of us low in funds and hunkering in survival mode.
—Carl Anka, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
The scene was simple: a security robot hunkered in a repair cubicle, mending its injuries.
—Meghan Herbst, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hunker
Cite this Entry
“Hunker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunker. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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