[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/hunch/)

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# hunch

noun (a hunch, hunches); verb (hunch, hunches, hunched, hunching)

«hunch» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (noun) A feeling that something is true, even though you have no proof. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hunch/#m1)
2. (verb) To bend your back and shoulders forward and up, often from cold, tiredness or worry. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hunch/#m2)
3. (noun, old) A hump or lump. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hunch/#m3)

### In the lessons

Sense 1 is common in detective stories and everyday talk: «I had a hunch», «follow your hunch». In science a hunch must be tested with an experiment before it is accepted. Sense 2 describes body position: «hunched over his desk», «hunched against the cold». Mole hunched himself up in a hollow tree in the Wild Wood.

### Examples

- I had a hunch it would rain, so I took an umbrella. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hunch/#x1)
- The detective followed his hunch and found the thief. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hunch/#x2)
- He hunched over his book, reading. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hunch/#x3)
- The old man hunched his shoulders against the wind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hunch/#x4)
- Mole hunched himself up in the hollow of a tree. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hunch/#x5)
- Scientists test their hunches with careful experiments. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hunch/#x6)
- Don't hunch over your desk; sit up straight. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hunch/#x7)
- "It looks very near," said Jane, hunching up her shoulders to keep her neck warm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hunch/#x8)

### Note

Noun countable: a hunch, hunches. Verb: hunched, hunching. A «hunchback» is an old, now hurtful word for someone with a curved spine; say «a curved spine» instead. A hunch is a guess, not proof.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «hunch» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hunch/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«hunch» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/hunch.html) on Mova free.