At Does Hunker Down Mean?

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.

How do you use hunker down in a sentence?

Betty hunkered down on the floor. He ended up hunkering down beside her. If you say that someone hunkers down, you mean that they are trying to avoid doing things that will make them noticed or put them in danger. Their strategy for the moment is to hunker down and let the fuss die down.

Where does the saying hunker down come from?

Hunker comes from Scottish — it means "crouch on your heels" or "squat." Sometimes the phrase is also used to mean "get to work," like when you hunker down and finish your homework.