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
Greg Wolf, 64, was hunkered down with his family inside his house in Castaic despite a mandatory evacuation order.
—
Corina Knoll, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
So Martinez and her husband hunkered down for six hours in the ferry parking lot, waiting for the storm to pass while hashing out a plan to sell their 1920s home in California, move across the country with their two daughters, and modernize the 1807 house before the next school year—no small feat.
—Jennifer Fernandez, Architectural Digest, 20 Jan. 2025
The apps helped restaurants survive during the COVID-19 pandemic, when everyone was hunkered down at home.
—Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
The Knicks had 15 offensive rebounds and took 11 more shots than the Wolves, but Gobert hunkered down and held them to one offensive rebound in the fourth quarter.
—Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for hunker down 
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.
Corina Knoll, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
So Martinez and her husband hunkered down for six hours in the ferry parking lot, waiting for the storm to pass while hashing out a plan to sell their 1920s home in California, move across the country with their two daughters, and modernize the 1807 house before the next school year—no small feat.
—Jennifer Fernandez, Architectural Digest, 20 Jan. 2025
The apps helped restaurants survive during the COVID-19 pandemic, when everyone was hunkered down at home.
—Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
The Knicks had 15 offensive rebounds and took 11 more shots than the Wolves, but Gobert hunkered down and held them to one offensive rebound in the fourth quarter.
—Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for hunker down
Dictionary Entries Near hunker down
Cite this Entry
“Hunker down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunker%20down. Accessed 15 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share