hunker down

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

Well, the answer is probably Andrew Watt, a 35-year-old who has built a reputation for hunkering down in the studio with rock legends or pop stars to craft sleek, sturdy albums. — Ethan Beck, Washington Post, 13 July 2026

As his support vanished and his campaign clashed with the state Democratic Party, Platner hunkered down with a team of advisers at his home in Sullivan, a small town on the coast of Maine. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 9 July 2026

The general path is for idols to hunker down and compromise in groups to debut and make an identity, before striking out on their own. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Meanwhile, 75 miles to the north of Rota, residents of the islands of Saipan and Tinian were hunkering down for impacts from the second super typhoon to hit the area this year. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

Rhymes for hunker down

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