1. crouching or squatting down low, typically on one’s heels
Usage: present participle of ‘hunker’
2. settling in for a long period, especially to wait out difficult conditions
Usage: often used with ‘down’

Examples

• The children were hunkering behind the fence during the game of hide-and-seek.
• She found herself hunkering down in the basement during the tornado warning.
• The campers spent the evening hunkering around the fire.
• We’re hunkering down for the winter storm that’s approaching.
• The detective was hunkering outside the suspect’s house for hours.
• They’re hunkering down at home until the pandemic passes.