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
So 1% may actually shock businesses into wondering if another calamity is lurking around the corner, prompting them to hunker down and wait rather than expand, Roach warned.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 July 2025
Amazon Prime Day 2025 is in our sights and the USA TODAY Shopping team is hunkered down (in the air conditioning, of course) scoping out all the best early savings available.
—Kasey Caminiti, USA Today, 1 July 2025
Iran would probably hunker down... while trying to reconstitute its nuclear program and dash for a nuclear weapon.
—Kat Lonsdorf, NPR, 17 June 2025
The most difficult thing is to hunker down and have that grit to keep going when there's no work.
—Sydni Ellis, People.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hunker down
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Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 July 2025
Amazon Prime Day 2025 is in our sights and the USA TODAY Shopping team is hunkered down (in the air conditioning, of course) scoping out all the best early savings available.
—Kasey Caminiti, USA Today, 1 July 2025
Iran would probably hunker down... while trying to reconstitute its nuclear program and dash for a nuclear weapon.
—Kat Lonsdorf, NPR, 17 June 2025
The most difficult thing is to hunker down and have that grit to keep going when there's no work.
—Sydni Ellis, People.com, 26 June 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 29 Jul. 2025.
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