hunker down
phrasal 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
My mom raised me to buy your sardines, peanut butter and crackers, nuts—then hunker down.
—
Dominique Fluker, Essence, 15 Apr. 2025
The city was working on building a new safe room for first responders to hunker down in during hurricanes.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025
So, the area’s denizens sometimes hunker down for dinner.
—Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Hailey Hart and her fiancé Steve Romero hunkered down with their three huskies inside their 1994 Toyota Celica as a twister ripped apart their home Saturday.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hunker down
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Dominique Fluker, Essence, 15 Apr. 2025
The city was working on building a new safe room for first responders to hunker down in during hurricanes.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025
So, the area’s denizens sometimes hunker down for dinner.
—Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Hailey Hart and her fiancé Steve Romero hunkered down with their three huskies inside their 1994 Toyota Celica as a twister ripped apart their home Saturday.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hunker down
Cite this Entry
“Hunker down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunker%20down. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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