hunched; hunching; hunches
1
2
: to thrust or bend (someone or something) over into a humped or crooked position
hunched his shoulders as he headed out into the storm
sat hunched over the table reading a map
kept his … body hunched slightly forward—
Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams1
: to thrust oneself forward
hunched along for a short spell of safe steps—T. B. Costain
T. B. Costain2
a
: to assume a bent or crooked posture
folded his hands on the table and hunched forward—Hugh MacLennan
Hugh MacLennan
b
: to draw oneself into a ball : curl up
hunch beneath the covers—Randall Jarrell
Randall Jarrell1
: an act or instance of pushing someone or something in a rough or careless manner : an act or instance of hunching (see hunch entry 1 sense transitive)
give him a good hunch with your foot—Abraham Tucker
Abraham Tucker2
3
: a strong intuitive feeling concerning especially a future event or result
had a hunch I would find you here
Synonyms
Examples of hunch in a Sentence
Verb
He hunched his shoulders as he headed out into the storm.
he hunched next to a bush to avoid being seen
Noun
My hunch is that the stock is going to go up in value.
“How did you know I'd be here?” “It was just a hunch.”
Recent Examples on the WebTanya Edwards, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024
Jennifer Crumbley, 45, often sobbed and hunched over in her seat as witnesses recalled the worst school shooting in Michigan's history.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 4 Mar. 2024
Sitting hunched over in the chair next to his locker, Alabama safety Caleb Downs kept giving the same answer to each question.
—Nick Kelly, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024
Lindsay Gottlieb hunched over the back of USC forward Rayah Marshall’s chair as ESPN ticked off names.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024
People who nodded off and died after taking opioids are often found hunched over with their legs curled under them.
—Natalie Kitroeff Meridith Kohut, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024
Perhaps before a crowd, pulsing to chants and drumbeats, these oracle-like figures hunched over a heap of radiant red powder.
—Bridget Alex, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
Photos show groups of them staring, enraptured, at mundane pieces of infrastructure or studiously hunching over their notebooks as they are lectured about the greatness of China’s achievements.
—Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2024
Several hundred North Korean women dressed in red uniforms, plastic aprons, and white rubber boots stood shoulder to shoulder at long metal tables under harsh lights, hunched over plastic baskets of seafood, slicing and sorting products by hand.
—Ian Urbina, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2024
Ty Burr, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Read the full Taurus Daily Horoscope Gemini (May 21 - June 21)
Trusting your hunch?
—USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Using hunches are a foundation is a lousy way to build something.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
The love songs helped scientists confirm a hunch that the southeast Asian nation has the world’s largest population of Skywalker gibbons.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2024
No authoritative forward tilt or imposing hunch of shoulder.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024
Trust your hunch in a financial matter as the moon and Uranus harmonize.
—USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2024
If your hunch was on point, Graye says, the dish should be entirely remade, not just heated up in the oven or microwave.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 6 Feb. 2024
My hunch is that the filaments of Cal X are indeed serving as cosmic umbilical cords to the stars being formed in the region.
—Nia Imara, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
The stand engages with just a flip and click, so kids can easily view their favorite shows without hunching over.
—Tanya Edwards, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024
Jennifer Crumbley, 45, often sobbed and hunched over in her seat as witnesses recalled the worst school shooting in Michigan's history.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 4 Mar. 2024
Sitting hunched over in the chair next to his locker, Alabama safety Caleb Downs kept giving the same answer to each question.
—Nick Kelly, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024
Lindsay Gottlieb hunched over the back of USC forward Rayah Marshall’s chair as ESPN ticked off names.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024
People who nodded off and died after taking opioids are often found hunched over with their legs curled under them.
—Natalie Kitroeff Meridith Kohut, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024
Perhaps before a crowd, pulsing to chants and drumbeats, these oracle-like figures hunched over a heap of radiant red powder.
—Bridget Alex, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
Photos show groups of them staring, enraptured, at mundane pieces of infrastructure or studiously hunching over their notebooks as they are lectured about the greatness of China’s achievements.
—Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2024
Several hundred North Korean women dressed in red uniforms, plastic aprons, and white rubber boots stood shoulder to shoulder at long metal tables under harsh lights, hunched over plastic baskets of seafood, slicing and sorting products by hand.
—Ian Urbina, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2024
Noun
Also on the case is Woman Police Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan), who in addition to following her eminently logical hunches has to endure demeaning treatment from her fellow officer (Hugh Skinner) and chief constable (Paul Chahidi), both of them prats of the first order.
—Ty Burr, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Read the full Taurus Daily Horoscope Gemini (May 21 - June 21)
Trusting your hunch?
—USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Using hunches are a foundation is a lousy way to build something.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
The love songs helped scientists confirm a hunch that the southeast Asian nation has the world’s largest population of Skywalker gibbons.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2024
No authoritative forward tilt or imposing hunch of shoulder.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024
Trust your hunch in a financial matter as the moon and Uranus harmonize.
—USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2024
If your hunch was on point, Graye says, the dish should be entirely remade, not just heated up in the oven or microwave.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 6 Feb. 2024
My hunch is that the filaments of Cal X are indeed serving as cosmic umbilical cords to the stars being formed in the region.
—Nia Imara, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hunch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hunch
Cite this Entry
“Hunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunch. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hunch
1 of 2 verb1
: to push oneself forward by jerks
hunch nearer the fire
2
: to bend one's body into an arch or hump
were hunched over the table
3
: to draw up close together or into an arch
hunched my shoulders
hunch
2 of 2 noun2
: a strong feeling about what will happen : intuition
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