Library / English Dictionary

HUNKER DOWN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hold stubbornly to a position

Example:

The wife hunkered down and the husband's resistance began to break down

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "hunker down" is one way to...):

hold firm; stand fast; stand firm; stand pat (refuse to abandon one's opinion or belief)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 2

Meaning:

Sit on one's heels

Example:

The children hunkered down to protect themselves from the sandstorm

Synonyms:

crouch; hunker; hunker down; scrunch; scrunch up; squat

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "hunker down" is one way to...):

sit; sit down (be seated)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 3

Meaning:

Take shelter

Example:

During the sandstorm, they hunkered down in a small hut

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "hunker down" is one way to...):

hide; hide out (be or go into hiding; keep out of sight, as for protection and safety)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

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