as in crouching
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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Recent Examples of hunching
Poor Posture Poor posture, like slouching or hunching over a desk, puts constant stress on your muscles and joints.
—
Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 17 Apr. 2026
Leaning forward or hunching over the handrails—or grasping them too tightly—can reduce activation in your lower-body muscles.
—Christa Sgobba, Health, 7 Apr. 2026
And given its compact construction, only someone with a small build could navigate the passage by hunching over or shifting sideways, presenting an awkward picture.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Feb. 2026
View gallery - 4 images Soldering frequently involves hunching in and squinting at the fiddly task at hand, or performing that task under an unmoving magnifying glass.
—New Atlas, 30 Jan. 2026
Your back hurts from hunching over your laptop.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
But my new favorite—thanks to the hype from none other than Taylor Swift—is the Forme Power Bra that ever so gently pulls back my constantly hunching shoulders, not just improving my posture, but also eliminating the upper back soreness that has long plagued me, both in my runs and in my life.
—Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Mar. 2024
Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 17 Apr. 2026
Leaning forward or hunching over the handrails—or grasping them too tightly—can reduce activation in your lower-body muscles.
—Christa Sgobba, Health, 7 Apr. 2026
And given its compact construction, only someone with a small build could navigate the passage by hunching over or shifting sideways, presenting an awkward picture.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Feb. 2026
View gallery - 4 images Soldering frequently involves hunching in and squinting at the fiddly task at hand, or performing that task under an unmoving magnifying glass.
—New Atlas, 30 Jan. 2026
Your back hurts from hunching over your laptop.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
But my new favorite—thanks to the hype from none other than Taylor Swift—is the Forme Power Bra that ever so gently pulls back my constantly hunching shoulders, not just improving my posture, but also eliminating the upper back soreness that has long plagued me, both in my runs and in my life.
—Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hunching
crouching
Verb
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The viral moment of the banquet, captured on video and rebroadcast endlessly across Weibo, was Lei Jun walking up to a seated Musk, tapping him on the shoulder, and crouching half-down to take a selfie with him on a Xiaomi 17 Pro.—
Drew Bernstein,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
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After he was hit in the left temple, Sykes, 39, could be seen crouching down on the stage.—
Ilana Kaplan,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hunching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hunching. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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