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
But 30 years ago, a whole generation of Americans learned how to dig in, hunker down, and take sides with their tribes.
—
Sean Gregory, TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
Since then, rotating detachments of Filipino marines have been living on board, hunkering down through tropical heat, typhoons and long spells away from home in a bid to assert territorial rights and prevent any Chinese development there.
—Rebecca Wright, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
Americans armed with cash from stimulus checks and hunkering down at home went on spending sprees.
—Paul Davidson, The Courier-Journal, 22 Jan. 2024
And with the way the roads are expected to look with double or triple the commuters — therefore double or triple the traffic — many are recommending travelers hunker down overnight at a hotel until the influx of people subsides.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 18 Mar. 2024
January’s sharp decline was mostly attributed to the cold weather keeping consumers hunkered down at home.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024
DeSantis speaks at Florida Capitol while city hunkers down
Tallahassee residents sheltered in place Tuesday as rain and wind howled through the city, while Gov. Ron DeSantis made his State of the State speech at the state Capitol ahead of the start of the legislative session.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024
Last week, the farmers paused their protest and hunkered down near the town of Shambhu, close to the border between Punjab and Haryana, as their unions engaged in discussions with government ministers.
—Altaf Qadri and Krutika Pathi, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024
Shadow was meowing and hunkered down on a rotting tree limb near the top of a 30-foot tree, about a block from his house.
—Cathy Free, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024
Sean Gregory, TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
Since then, rotating detachments of Filipino marines have been living on board, hunkering down through tropical heat, typhoons and long spells away from home in a bid to assert territorial rights and prevent any Chinese development there.
—Rebecca Wright, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
Americans armed with cash from stimulus checks and hunkering down at home went on spending sprees.
—Paul Davidson, The Courier-Journal, 22 Jan. 2024
And with the way the roads are expected to look with double or triple the commuters — therefore double or triple the traffic — many are recommending travelers hunker down overnight at a hotel until the influx of people subsides.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 18 Mar. 2024
January’s sharp decline was mostly attributed to the cold weather keeping consumers hunkered down at home.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024
DeSantis speaks at Florida Capitol while city hunkers down
Tallahassee residents sheltered in place Tuesday as rain and wind howled through the city, while Gov. Ron DeSantis made his State of the State speech at the state Capitol ahead of the start of the legislative session.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024
Last week, the farmers paused their protest and hunkered down near the town of Shambhu, close to the border between Punjab and Haryana, as their unions engaged in discussions with government ministers.
—Altaf Qadri and Krutika Pathi, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024
Shadow was meowing and hunkered down on a rotting tree limb near the top of a 30-foot tree, about a block from his house.
—Cathy Free, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near hunker down
Cite this Entry
“Hunker down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunker%20down. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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