- an intuitive guess or feeling
- another word for hump
- a lump or large piece
- to bend or draw (oneself or a part of the body) up or together
- (intransitive) usually followed by up: to sit in a hunched position
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
hunch /hʌntʃ/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object]
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to thrust out or up in a hump;
arch:He hunched his shoulders.
n. [countable]
- a feeling or guess about the future;
a suspicion:I had a hunch you wouldn't show up on time. - a hump.
hunch
(hunch),USA pronunciation v.t.
v.i.
n.
- to thrust out or up in a hump;
arch:to hunch one's back. - to shove, push, or jostle.
v.i.
- to thrust oneself forward jerkily;
lunge forward. - to stand, sit, or walk in a bent posture.
n.
- a premonition or suspicion;
guess:I have a hunch he'll run for reelection. - a hump.
- a push or shove.
- a lump or thick piece.
- ?
- 1590–1600; 1900–05 for def. 5; apparently variant of obsolete hinch to push, shove, kick
- 5. surmise, feeling, theory, conjecture.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
hunch /hʌntʃ/ n
'hunch' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):