Word
hunch
US/ˈhəntʃ/
UK/hˈʌntʃ/
Definitions
01an intuitive feeling
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal
n. a feeling or guess that something is true, even if you do not have proof yet.
n. an intuitive feeling or premonition regarding a situation or event, lacking immediate empirical evidence.
日本語:直感※
“I had a hunch that the meeting would be cancelled, so I stayed home.”
“The detective followed a gut hunch that the witness was withholding information, despite the lack of physical evidence at the scene.”
Usage
Commonly used with the verbs 'have', 'follow', or 'act on'.
02to bend the back
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to lean forward and raise your shoulders, often because you are cold, tired, or hiding.
v. to arch the back and draw the shoulders forward and upward, often as a postural response to cold, concentration, or physical discomfort.
“He had to hunch his shoulders to fit through the tiny doorway.”
“The programmer remained hunched over the keyboard for hours, oblivious to the growing tension in his neck and shoulders.”
Usage
Often used with the particle 'up' or the preposition 'over'.
Antonyms
03a physical hump
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Literary
n. a rounded lump or hump on a person's back.
n. a physical protuberance or hump, typically referring to a curvature of the spine.
“The old man had a slight hunch in his back from years of hard work.”
“The character was described as having a prominent hunch, a physical trait that the author used to symbolise his years of social isolation.”
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“In April 1970, Doyle Owens, acting on a hunch, borrowed $300 and a Chevy truck and drove from Scottsboro to Washington DC to purchase his first haul of 110 bags from the Continental Trailways bus company.” “We’ve probably all had experience of a hunch we strongly suspect to be true, even if we can’t put our finger on why.” “His own work has shown that we often rely on “metacognitive feelings” – the hunch that something works, or doesn’t – to judge an idea’s quality, and these can be subject to bias.” “They had not been identified in mammals, but Prof Elemans said: "I had a hunch, that if they were in mammals, they would be in bats".” Etymology
Assibilated variant of hunk, of uncertain origin. Alternatively, a derivative of hump, via an earlier Middle English hunche, humpchin, from *hump + -chin, -chen (diminutive suffix), equivalent to hump + -kin. In the sense of an intuitive impression, said to be from the old gambling superstition that it brings luck to touch the hump of a hunchback.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
Idioms
01. hunch over
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/hunch
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0