hunkered (down)

past tense of hunker (down)
as in crouched
to lie low with the limbs close to the body had to hunker down so no one would see him behind the gate

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hunkered (down)
Verb
  • The dance began with Irwin crouched atop a Jeep suped up for safari, with the junior conservationist correspondingly decked in the head-to-toe khaki uniform made famous by his dad.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2025
  • In one instance, a colleague entered Aber’s office to find an inmate crouched under his desk, according to an affidavit filed against Aber in the criminal case.
    Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Meatball huddled with his bent cops, to figure out how to shut Kearney up once and for all.
    Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Much of that time, the first responders huddled at either end of the hallway, many of them outside Marin-Franco’s classroom.
    Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Hunkered (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hunkered%20%28down%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

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