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

In fact, many people were bundled up in Old City before hunkering down for the storm. —Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 25 Jan. 2026

Hettinger says pests especially love to hunker down in dry goods such as flour, rice, or pasta. —Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 25 Jan. 2026

This week’s approaching winter superstorm is making a lot of news as folks stock up on groceries and hunker down. —Adam Frank, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026

Grocery stores across North Texas have been mobbed by shoppers buying meat, milk, water and other supplies to carry them through three or four days of hunkering down this weekend. —Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for hunker down

• chinatown
• tumbledown
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown