Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb hunker_down

3 senses of hunker down

Sense 1
squat, crouch, scrunch, scrunch up, hunker, hunker down -- (sit on one's heels; "In some cultures, the women give birth while squatting"; "The children hunkered down to protect themselves from the sandstorm")
       => sit, sit down -- (be seated)

Sense 2
hunker down -- (take shelter; "During the sandstorm, they hunkered down in a small hut")
       => hide, hide out -- (be or go into hiding; keep out of sight, as for protection and safety; "Probably his horse would be close to where he was hiding"; "She is hiding out in a cabin in Montana")

Sense 3
hunker down -- (hold stubbornly to a position; "The wife hunkered down and the husband's resistance began to break down")
       => stand pat, stand firm, hold firm, stand fast -- (refuse to abandon one's opinion or belief)