What does hunch mean?
A hunch is a feeling, belief, or suspicion that arises from intuition rather than firm evidence. People commonly say that they have a hunch about what will happen, but a hunch is generally a private, provisional judgment rather than a proven conclusion. The word can also describe a physical posture: someone hunches their shoulders or back, making the upper body rounded and bent forward. In the sense of intuition, a hunch often carries the implication that the person may be right but has not yet established the facts. It is useful in conversation because it describes the common human experience of sensing that something is likely before there is clear evidence. The physical and figurative senses share an image of something bent or compressed, while the word remains informal in both.
A strong feeling or tentative belief based on intuition rather than conclusive evidence.
"I had a hunch that the answer was hiding in the second paragraph."
Usually informal; it often implies that the feeling may be correct but remains unconfirmed.
A rounded, stooped position of the upper back and shoulders.
"He walked with a pronounced hunch in his shoulders."
The posture sense is less common than the figurative sense in everyday usage.
To bend the upper body forward or raise the shoulders in a rounded, stooped posture.
"She hunched over the keyboard as she typed the report."
Usually used transitively with a body part, as in 'hunch one's shoulders,' or intransitively to describe a stooped posture.
To form a tentative opinion or belief based on intuition.
"I hunch that they will choose the later train."
This use is informal and often means that the speaker has a strong but unconfirmed impression.
The plural is used especially for separate intuitive impressions or beliefs, as in 'I have several hunches.'
"Her hunches about the competition were usually right."
Sometimes the most useful clue is the one you cannot prove: a hunch is intuition doing detective work.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hunch come from?
The English word is traditionally traced to Middle English forms related to hunchen, meaning to bend, stoop, or hump. The physical sense developed from the image of a person bending forward, while the figurative sense came to mean a felt or instinctive impression. Later English formed compounds such as hunchback from the same base, while the word remains associated with both a stooped posture and a sudden intuitive guess.
Related word forms
How hunch is actually used
A hunch is usually informal and often describes a tentative personal impression. In its posture sense, hunch is typically transitive or used in the phrase 'hunch one's shoulders.'
Easily confused with hunch
A hunch is an intuitive feeling or a bent posture, whereas a hunk is a large lump or piece of something.