hunker

Imagine a cold rain starting while you're still outside. You might hunker down by lowering your body and trying to stay sheltered. More often, though, the word is used in a wider sense: to settle in, stay where you are, and get ready to wait through something hard or unpleasant. A family might hunker down at home during a storm, or a team might hunker down and focus on a difficult job. The older, more literal meaning is to squat low on your heels. Today, the phrase usually suggests staying low, keeping calm, and holding on until the situation improves.

To hunker means to crouch or squat low, with your body close to the ground. In older and more literal use, it refers to resting on your haunches or heels. This sense still exists, but in modern English the word is much more common in the phrase hunker down.

When people say hunker down, they usually mean taking shelter, staying put, or preparing to get through a difficult period. You can hunker down during a storm, in a cold cabin, or anywhere you need to stay safe and wait things out. The phrase can also be used in a less physical way. A student might hunker down to finish a paper, or a company might hunker down during a bad economy. In these cases, the idea is to limit movement, focus on what matters, and hold steady until conditions get better.

The word often carries a feeling of endurance. It suggests that something may be uncomfortable, long, or uncertain, but that you are ready to stay firm and get through it. So the full picture of hunker is this: literally, to squat low; more commonly, especially in hunker down, to settle in, protect yourself, and wait with patience and determination.