What does "hunch" mean?
A hump; a protuberance.
Hunch
/hʌnt͡ʃ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A hump; a protuberance.
- Grammar: hunch is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: intuition, suspicion, arch, bend.
- Useful contrasts: basic scientific concept, biological experiment, evidentiary conclusion.
- Usage evidence: I had a hunch something pleasant was going to happen.
How to use "hunch"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hunch" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hunch" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hunch" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hunch" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hunch" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "intuition" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hunch", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A hump; a protuberance.
- 2 the act of bending yourself into a humped position wordnet
- 3 A stooped or curled posture; a slouch.
"The old man walked with a hunch."
- 4 an impression that something might be the case wordnet
- 5 A theory, idea, or guess; an intuitive impression that something will happen.
"I have a hunch they'll find a way to solve the problem."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A hunk; a lump; a thick piece.
"a hunch of bread"
- 7 A push or thrust, as with the elbow.
Verb
- 1 To bend the top of one's body forward while raising one's shoulders. intransitive
"Don't hunch over your computer if you want to avoid neck problems."
- 2 round one's back by bending forward and drawing the shoulders forward wordnet
- 3 To raise (one's shoulders) (while lowering one's head or bending the top of one's body forward); to curve (one's body) forward (sometimes followed by up). transitive
"They stood outside the door hunching themselves against the rain and puffing on their cigarettes."
- 4 To walk (somewhere) while hunching one's shoulders. intransitive
"[…] the figure hunched up the road."
- 5 To thrust a hump or protuberance out of (something); to crook, as the back. transitive
"[…] thou art all one errour; soul and body. The first young tryal of some unskill’d Pow’r; Rude in the making Art, and Ape of Jove. Thy crooked mind within hunch’d out thy back; And wander’d in thy limbs:"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To push or jostle with the elbow; to push or thrust against (someone). transitive
"After this, we saw a great Troop of Women upon the High-way to Hell, with their Bags; and their fellows, at their Heels, ever, and anon, hunching, and Justling one Another."
- 7 To have a hunch, or make an intuitive guess. colloquial, intransitive
"People who are instinctive hunchers go through some such process at every decision-making point of their lives. It is likely that children often make decisions and discern truths by hunching."
Antonyms
basic scientific conceptbiological experimentevidentiary conclusionstatistical concept
Example
"I had a hunch something pleasant was going to happen."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hunch"?
Common synonyms include: intuition, suspicion, arch, bend, bend, bend back.
How do you use "hunch" in a sentence?
I had a hunch something pleasant was going to happen.
How do you pronounce "hunch"?
Pronounced /hʌnt͡ʃ/.
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.