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
The string of announcements comes as businesses pull back and hunker down in the face of trade and policy uncertainty.
– CNBC's Jesse Pound, Kevin Breuninger, Jeff Cox, Dan Mangan, Lora Kolodny, Chris Eudaily, Ali McCadden and Amelia Lucas contributed to this report.
—
Sara Salinas, CNBC, 6 June 2025
But, to echo that specific piece of dialogue, Romero is profoundly proud of the fact that Queens of the Dead isn't a George A. Romero movie, and not just because of the subject matter: a kooky assemblage of LGBTQ+ party-goers must hunker down at a warehouse drag show when a zombie outbreak occurs.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 3 June 2025
Downstairs, a games room is set up to shoot pool or hunker down with Texas Hold’em, and a bunk room for guests means hosting and entertaining is always relaxed and easy.
—Catherine Dunwoody, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Get the rest your body craves by hunkering down while donning this sleep mask set.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 22 May 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.
Sara Salinas, CNBC, 6 June 2025
But, to echo that specific piece of dialogue, Romero is profoundly proud of the fact that Queens of the Dead isn't a George A. Romero movie, and not just because of the subject matter: a kooky assemblage of LGBTQ+ party-goers must hunker down at a warehouse drag show when a zombie outbreak occurs.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 3 June 2025
Downstairs, a games room is set up to shoot pool or hunker down with Texas Hold’em, and a bunk room for guests means hosting and entertaining is always relaxed and easy.
—Catherine Dunwoody, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Get the rest your body craves by hunkering down while donning this sleep mask set.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 22 May 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 11 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share