hunch
Americanverb (used with object)
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to thrust out or up in a hump; arch.
to hunch one's back.
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to shove, push, or jostle.
verb (used without object)
-
to thrust oneself forward jerkily; lunge forward.
-
to stand, sit, or walk in a bent posture.
noun
-
a premonition or suspicion; guess.
I have a hunch he'll run for reelection.
- Synonyms:
- conjecture, theory, feeling, surmise
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a hump.
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a push or shove.
-
a lump or thick piece.
noun
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an intuitive guess or feeling
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another word for hump
-
a lump or large piece
verb
-
to bend or draw (oneself or a part of the body) up or together
-
to sit in a hunched position
Etymology
Origin of hunch
1590–1600; 1900–05 hunch for def. 5; apparently variant of obsolete hinch to push, shove, kick < ?
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“My hunch is it was shocking,” Mora said of the immigration raids last summer.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
She confirmed her hunch by tracking the recent and 10-year performance of FedEx shares.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026
Monahan's own hunch centres on a subtype of the E. coli bacteria in the gut.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
The off-spinner is an untested theory, an idea, or even a hunch.
From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025
On a hunch, San Martín went out the back door and, sure enough, found telltale footprints in the snow.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
