hunker
pronunciation
How to pronounce hunker in British English:
UK [ˈhʌŋkə(r)]
How to pronounce hunker in American English:
US [ˈhʌŋkɚ]
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- Verb:
- sit on one's heels
Word Origin
- hunker (v.)
- "to squat, crouch," 1720, Scottish, of uncertain origin, possibly from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse huka "to crouch," hoka, hokra "to crawl." Hunker down, Southern U.S. dialectal phrase, popularized c. 1965, from northern British hunker "haunch." Related: Hunkered; hunkering.
Example
- 1. Shaken by this nightmare , spaniards have started to hunker down .
- 2. It 's when many , especially those who adhere to traditional nomadic rhythms of life , hunker down until spring .
- 3. This enormous pool has helped to protect asian societies as they hunker down for the storm .
- 4. The world cup hosts hunker down for a wave of xenophobic violence .
- 5. But israel cannot emigrate and it will have no choice but to hunker down and fortify its formerly peaceful border with egypt .