HUNCH Synonyms: 114 Similar and Opposite Words

hunch 1 of 2

verb

ˈhənch

Definition of hunch

as in to crouch

to lie low with the limbs close to the body he hunched next to a bush to avoid being seen

Synonyms & Similar Words

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hunch

2 of 2

noun

as in theory

Related Words

as in hump

Related Words

as in idea

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of hunch

Verb

Focus on staying upright rather than leaning or hunching under the load. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026 Risoli hunched down, ear pressed closer, to hear his soft sliver of a voice. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026

Noun

Shoulder blade squeezes, pulling the shoulder blades together and holding for a few seconds, counteract the forward hunch that builds up during long screen sessions. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026 For years this was a hunch with no paper trail. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hunch

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hunch

Verb

Davis was captured on cell phone video, crouching over French’s body, hysterically telling responding cops to stay away from him.

— Barry Williams, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2026
Ordinarily, Sinner attacks with explosive energy, crouching on his long legs before springing upward, his feet leaving the ground after each shot.

— Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of crouch

Noun

These theories spreading online, one expert says, stem from people’s struggles to find a fulfilling explanation for what has happened.

— Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Heck, for instance, studies how discrepancy theory can be applied to improve large language models and other machine learning systems.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of theory

Noun

Campbell’s charge, then, was to get the Nittany Lions over the Mount Nittany-sized hump that squandered every season.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
On Laurel Street, a short residential thoroughfare, speeds fell from between 25 to 30 mph to less than 20 mph after speed humps were added.

— Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of hump

Noun

Those ideas say some people are superior to others, and the inequality that exists in the world around us reflects those innate differences, and inequality is a good thing, and a necessary thing, and the only real way to organize social life.

— John Blake, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Instead of gathering a group to generate ideas aloud, where the first strong opinion tends to anchor everyone else's thinking, brainwriting has each person privately jot down ideas before the group reconvenes to build on them.

— Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of idea

Verb

Schottenheimer huddled the team up for a longer than usual postgame discussion because of the fights.

— Jon Machota, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Once a fixture of the American experience, the custom of collectively huddling around the cathode-ray hearth has largely been supplanted by the isolationist practices of the smartphone era.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of huddle

Noun

My guess is the players might work a little harder to entertain the fans instead of turning what should have been a showcase event into the embarrassment that was this year’s All-Star Weekend.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026
Tests get built around actual user behavior, like scroll depth or device, instead of guesses based on age or location.

— Karan Sharma, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of guess

Noun

The growth trajectory Neville talks about — industry sources estimate the brand will reach $100 million in net revenue this year — has not gone unnoticed by the industry.

— Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
With rising geopolitical tensions, a surge in domestic competition and a disconnect from the Chinese consumer, American companies have lost ground in the region that once offered fuel for growth.

— Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of growth

Noun

Paul Schmidt, a Covington & Burling trial attorney representing Meta, contested O'Neill's arguments, and disputed the notion that Meta executives misled the public with their statements about child safety.

— Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
Ogunyemi rejects the notion that encouragement is merely a soft leadership practice that can’t be connected to measurable business outcomes.

— Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of notion

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Style

“Hunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hunch. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of hunch

verb

noun

Example Sentences

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