hunched; hunching; hunches
1
2
: to thrust or bend (someone or something) over into a humped or crooked position
hunched his shoulders as he headed out into the storm
sat hunched over the table reading a map
kept his … body hunched slightly forward—
Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams1
: to thrust oneself forward
… hunched along for a short spell of safe steps.—T. B. Costain
T. B. Costain2
a
: to assume a bent or crooked posture
… folded his hands on the table and hunched forward …—Hugh MacLennan
Hugh MacLennan
b
: to draw oneself into a ball : curl up
… hunch beneath the covers …—Randall Jarrell
Randall Jarrell1
: an act or instance of pushing someone or something in a rough or careless manner : an act or instance of hunching (see hunch entry 1 sense transitive)
… give him a good hunch with your foot.—Abraham Tucker
Abraham Tucker2
3
: a strong intuitive feeling concerning especially a future event or result
had a hunch I would find you here
Examples of hunch in a Sentence
Verb
He hunched his shoulders as he headed out into the storm.
he hunched next to a bush to avoid being seen
Noun
My hunch is that the stock is going to go up in value.
“How did you know I'd be here?” “It was just a hunch.”
Recent Examples on the Web
Samantha Agate,
Sacbee.com,
1 July 2026
The performance seemed designed to suggest that, away from the cameras, the Russian leader spends his time hunched over maps of the battlefield.
—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
1 July 2026
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2026
They may be based on a hunch, on data, on many hours of in-depth viewing and scouting, on some spurious AI nonsense, on something a guy in the pub told us.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for hunch
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Verb
Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris, a former nurse and women’s health and fitness coach, told Patient that hunching is the biggest pitfall.
—
Samantha Agate,
Sacbee.com,
1 July 2026
The performance seemed designed to suggest that, away from the cameras, the Russian leader spends his time hunched over maps of the battlefield.
—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
1 July 2026
Noun
For years this was a hunch with no paper trail.
—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2026
They may be based on a hunch, on data, on many hours of in-depth viewing and scouting, on some spurious AI nonsense, on something a guy in the pub told us.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for hunch
Cite this Entry
“Hunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunch. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hunch
1 of 2 verb1
: to push oneself forward by jerks
hunch nearer the fire
2
: to bend one's body into an arch or hump
were hunched over the table
3
: to draw up close together or into an arch
hunched my shoulders
hunch
2 of 2 noun2
: a strong feeling about what will happen : intuition
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