WORD OF THE DAY
When you hunker down, you settle into a safe, sheltered position. Some people evacuate their homes during a big hurricane, while others hunker down and wait for the storm to pass.
This term is such a popular way to describe taking shelter from a storm that it's become a weather report cliché. You might hunker down in your basement during a tornado watch, but you can also hunker down during an argument, refusing to budge from your stated position. 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.
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Vocabulary lists containing hunker down
This list focuses primarily on phrasal verbs.
A city built to save humanity now faces dark times.
This award-winning dystopian novel tells the story of Matt Alacrán, clone and captive of a powerful feudal lord. Follow Matt as he tries to escape the sinister forces at work in the country of Opium.
Self-proclaimed slacker Cameron Boxer finds himself unexpectedly leading a club devoted to performing good deeds.
Learn these words from Into Literature, Grade 8, Unit 5, Lessons 2–3.
