I. ˈhənch verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: origin unknown
intransitive verb
1. : to push, thrust, or move oneself forward
hunched along for a short spell of safe steps — T.B.Costain
heavy shoulders … hunched through the open door — S.H.Adams
2.
a. : to assume a bent or crooked posture especially in sitting : bend one's body into an arch or hump
a technical sergeant hunches in a tiny cubicle — Fortune
gripped the wheel, hunching over it — Gregor Felsen
folded his hands on the table and hunched forward — Hugh MacLennan
b. : to draw or compress oneself into a ball : curl up
hunched on the rug — Margery Allingham
hunch beneath the covers, in my curled red ball of darkness — Randall Jarrell
c. : huddle , squat
we hunched close to the damp earth — H.D.Skidmore
the home hunches on a one-acre point of land — Springfield (Massachusetts) Union
the mountains hunched around the valley — Helen Rich
d. : to rise so as to form a hump or arch : rear
the sea hunched up and hurled itself on the … land — H.E.Rieseberg
his shoulder hunched convulsively — Bernard DeVoto
3. : fudge 2a
transitive verb
1. : push , jostle , shove
I would hunch my chair … closer to my dear and only cronies — Mary Nash
tugboats … hunched their ocean-going charges to the quayside — Newman Bumstead
2. : to thrust or bend so as to form a hump or arch : crook , arch
the crow hunched its shoulders, like an old woman seeking comfort in her moldy coat — Edita Morris
kept his … body hunched slightly forward — Tennessee Williams
if you hunch yourself up … it is probably due to self-consciousness or fatigue — Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
: huddle
hunched ourselves into a little group in the corner
II. noun
( -es )
1. : the act or an instance of hunching : push
give him a good hunch with your foot — Abraham Tucker
2.
[probably back-formation from hunchbacked ]
a. : a rounded protuberance : hump
his back carried a huge hunch — William Scoresby †1857
b. : a thick piece : lump
barter it for a hunch of cake — Flora Thompson
3. : a strong intuitive feeling
expressed her hunch that the photograph had slid off the desk — Saturday Review
especially : a strong intuitive feeling as to how something (as a course of action) will turn out
on a hunch , resolved to establish a rail and shipping terminus here — American Guide Series: Texas