HUNCHES Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

hunches 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hunch

as in crouches

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

hunches

2 of 2

noun

plural of hunch

as in theories

Related Words

as in humps

Related Words

as in notions

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 hunches

Verb

Sandra Ogbebor hunches over her softly humming refrigerator and scours through bottles before finally yanking out an orange juice. — Light Oriye Tamunotonye, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2026 Deep into the opening-night party at the Middleburg Film Festival, Joel Edgerton hunches over a cocktail table, flipping through the event’s official program. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025 Amid hunting for clues on the case, Tom hunches over his desk, lazily shoveling sausage-and-onion sandwiches into his mouth. — EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hunches

Verb

The child folds over and crouches on the ground while the performance continues for several seconds.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
Sometimes a less reliable dog will smell in this manner the hot body scent of venison as a trembling doe crouches close in the brush upwind.

— Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026

Definition of crouches

Noun

Such theories were substantiated less than half an hour into his debut against Arsenal.

— Aston Villa, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
The result, the team argues, is a checkpoint on the border between Einstein’s relativity and quantum mechanics—two great theories in physics that stubbornly refuse to work together.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of theories

Noun

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
In fact, while sand traps aren’t overabundant, elevation changes, natural grass humps and, yes, some sand does challenge you most every hole.

— Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 18 June 2026

Definition of humps

Noun

In my view, the counseling gap for older adults often reflects outdated notions of aging and of what counseling can offer.

— Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026
Her notions of justice and the law — indeed, of her very sense of self — are then upended when she herself is assaulted by Julian (Daniel Ings), her colleague and boyfriend who comes from a relatively privileged background.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of notions

Verb

Despite his injury, Tasci continued to be an active participant on the sideline and in team huddles throughout the game.

— Sean Campbell, Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
An engineer overhears a sales call where a partner is requesting a specific feature and immediately huddles with the salesperson once the line clicks shut.

— Vikram Joshi, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Definition of huddles

Noun

Hiring managers looked at resumes, degrees, job titles and interviews, and made educated guesses about what people could do.

— Raghu Krishnaiah, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Hilton didn’t share the pooch’s name at the time, prompting fans to offer up their guesses in the comments of her Instagram and TikTok posts.

— Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of guesses

Noun

The middle range dose group saw 34% of patients with reduced tumors while the highest dose group saw 37% of patients with reduced tumors.

— Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Alcohol played a major role in deaths from malignant tumors in the head and neck, including lip, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and cancer of the esophagus.

— Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of tumors

Noun

Republicans have a president happy to adopt (or take credit for) populist ideas that his party used to blanche at – and candidates who would follow him for every beat.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2026
The whole thing plays like something concocted by an 8th grader sitting in the back of biology class and doodling movie ideas in his notebook, offering more proof that Besson has never quite risen above the juvenile tendencies of his early years.

— Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of ideas

Browse Nearby Words

hunched

hunches

hunching

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hunches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hunches. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of hunches

verb

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

watershed

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes