Definition

1. Verb (intransitive):
   • To lower the body into a squatting or crouching position: To bend the knees and lower the body close to the ground, often for stability, concealment, or comfort.
   • To settle in for a sustained period, especially for protection or to endure something: To take shelter or prepare to stay in a place, often to wait out a difficult situation.
   • To focus intensely on a task or prepare for hard work: To apply oneself diligently and with determination to a specific activity, often implying a period of concentrated effort.

Usage and Examples

• Literal Physical Position:

  • The soldiers were ordered to hunker down behind the wall to avoid enemy fire.
  • The gardener hunkered down to get a closer look at the plant's roots.

• Taking Shelter or Settling In:

  • When the hurricane warning was issued, we decided to hunker down at home with plenty of supplies.
  • The reporters hunkered down outside the courthouse, waiting for the verdict.

• Focusing on Work or a Task:

  • With exams next week, I need to hunker down and study all weekend.
  • The team hunkered down to finish the project before the deadline.

Advanced Usage and Nuance

• The phrase often conveys a sense of resilience, preparation, and weathering a storm, whether literal or figurative. It suggests a temporary but committed state of readiness or endurance.
• It can imply making oneself as inconspicuous or stable as possible in the face of an external threat or challenge.

Variants and Related Words

• Hunker (verb): The base verb, meaning to squat or crouch down low.
  • He hunkered by the campfire to warm his hands.
• Hunkered (adjective): Describing being in a crouched position or a state of settled readiness.
  • The hunkered figures waited silently in the trench.

Synonyms

• Squat: To crouch or sit with the knees bent.
• Take cover: To seek shelter or protection.
• Dig in: To prepare and settle firmly into a position, especially for a long or difficult period.
• Buckle down: To start working hard and seriously (similar to the "focus" sense).

Related Phrasal Verbs/Idioms

• Hunker down does not have common phrasal verb variations beyond its standard form. Its meaning is contained within the phrase itself.

Related Idioms

• Batten down the hatches: To prepare for a period of difficulty or trouble. This idiom is closely related to the "take shelter" sense of hunker down.
  • The company battened down the hatches for the upcoming economic downturn.
• Circle the wagons: To become defensive and prepare for a challenge, often by uniting with a close group. This shares the connotation of preparing for adversity.
  • After the scandal, the political party circled the wagons to protect its leader.

Verb

1. hold stubbornly to a position
   • The wife hunkered down and the husband's resistance began to break down
2. take shelter
   • During the sandstorm, they hunkered down in a small hut
3. sit on one's heels
   • In some cultures, the women give birth while squatting
   • The children hunkered down to protect themselves from the sandstorm