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
The two stars and the writer-director hunkered down to workshop how the short could work in feature-length form.
—
Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Starting in 1985 Hains hunkered down on Bears football, men’s basketball and baseball.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2025
The name refers to the time of year when beavers start hunkering down for winter by taking shelter in their lodges.
—Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2025
The woman hunkered down inside her Food for the Poor home, which was built six years ago, and watched as the storm ripped off part of her roof and led to a sinkhole opening up in her bedroom.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hunker down
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Starting in 1985 Hains hunkered down on Bears football, men’s basketball and baseball.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2025
The name refers to the time of year when beavers start hunkering down for winter by taking shelter in their lodges.
—Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2025
The woman hunkered down inside her Food for the Poor home, which was built six years ago, and watched as the storm ripped off part of her roof and led to a sinkhole opening up in her bedroom.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hunker down
Cite this Entry
“Hunker down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunker%20down. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share