What is the meaning of hunker down?

verb

  • Sit on one's heels.
    • usage: "In some cultures, the women give birth while squatting"; "The children hunkered down to protect themselves from the sandstorm"
  • Take shelter.
    • usage: "During the sandstorm, they hunkered down in a small hut"
  • Hold stubbornly to a position.
    • usage: "The wife hunkered down and the husband's resistance began to break down"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
11
 
|15 years ago|464 views|share |citing 
APAWordNet. (2010). hunker down. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/hunker_down/definitions/1285955
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "hunker down" http://smartdefine.org/hunker_down/definitions/1285955 (accessed September 22, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, hunker down, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/hunker_down/definitions/1285955>.
MLAWordNet. "hunker down" 23 October 2010. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/hunker_down/definitions/1285955>