hunker down

phrasal verb

hunkered down; hunkering down; hunkers down

chiefly US

: to lower the body to the ground by bending the legs

The hikers hunkered down under a cliff until the storm passed.

: 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

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.

Joe and her team pulled to a stop in the middle of a main drag, then hunkered down inside the Suburban and behind its doors to pick off adversaries. —

Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 27 Oct. 2024 Family-friendly Offerings While a day at a Disney park could seem like the most family-friendly option, hunkering down at the property will also provide plenty of things to do with families of all ages. —

Christine Burroni, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2024 By late afternoon, some officials said the time had passed for such efforts, suggesting that people who stayed behind hunker down instead. —

Shawn Tully, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2024 Still, her family was hunkering down and staying put. —

Lewis Kamb, NBC News, 5 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hunker down