Hunch
noun / verbBase: hunch | Past: hunched | Past Participle: hunched | -ing: hunching | 3rd person: hunches
Definition
1. (noun) A feeling or guess based on intuition rather than evidence.
2. (verb) To raise your shoulders and bend the top of your body forward — usually because of cold, fear, or poor posture.
2. (verb) To raise your shoulders and bend the top of your body forward — usually because of cold, fear, or poor posture.
Context Alive
The detective sat at her desk long after everyone else had gone home, staring at the case file spread out in front of her. Nothing in the evidence pointed to the husband, but she had a hunch that something wasn't right about his story. His alibi checked out, the neighbours confirmed he was home, and his phone records were clean. Still, twenty years of experience told her to keep digging. She picked up the phone and called the forensics lab one more time.
Meanings
2 meanings
1
A Gut Feeling or Intuitive Guess (Noun)
Very Common
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This is the meaning you'll encounter most in everyday English. A hunch is a feeling that something is true even though you have no proof or logical reason to believe it. Imagine you're at a job interview and the interviewer smiles politely, asks all the right questions, but something in their body language tells you they've already decided against you — that uneasy feeling is a hunch. This is describing knowledge that comes from instinct rather than evidence. You might say "I have a hunch it's going to rain" when the sky looks slightly off even though the forecast says sunshine, or a detective in a film could say "I'm following a hunch" when they investigate something without solid proof. Or picture a mother who suddenly feels worried about her child at school for no particular reason — she has a hunch something is wrong. The word suggests trusting your instincts over logic.
✏️ Hunch is informal and conversational — you wouldn't use it in academic writing. The most common pattern is "have a hunch" followed by a that-clause. In detective and crime stories, hunches are everywhere — the classic detective who solves cases by following hunches is a staple of English-language fiction.
2
To Bend Forward with Raised Shoulders (Verb)
Common
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This meaning describes a physical posture — when someone hunches, they pull their shoulders up and curve their upper body forward. Imagine someone walking through freezing rain without an umbrella — they instinctively hunch their shoulders to protect themselves from the cold, making their body as small as possible. This is describing a posture that signals discomfort, cold, tension, or poor habits. You might hear a parent say "don't hunch — sit up straight" to a child slouching at the dinner table, or a physiotherapist could say "you're hunching over your desk all day, that's why your neck hurts". Or picture an old man walking slowly down the street, hunched over a walking stick, his back curved from years of heavy work. The word always implies a curved, contracted posture.
✏️ The adjective form "hunched" is extremely common — "hunched over a desk," "hunched shoulders," "hunched figure." The phrase "hunched over" specifically describes someone bent forward, usually over something like a book, computer, or table. It often carries a slightly negative tone — suggesting tiredness, cold, or poor posture.
Examples from the Street
"I had a hunch you'd say that."
I somehow knew you would say that — I felt it before you spoke
"Just a hunch, but I think she's lying."
I don't have proof, but my gut feeling says she's not telling the truth
"Stop hunching over your laptop — you'll ruin your back."
Stop bending forward over your computer — it's bad for your spine
Common Patterns
Noun Patterns
have a hunch + (that) → to feel intuitively that something is true
I have a hunch that he's not telling us everything.
follow / act on a hunch → to take action based on intuition
She followed her hunch and checked the old warehouse.
just a hunch → downplaying — suggesting it's only a feeling, not a fact
It's just a hunch, but I think the flight will be delayed.
my hunch is + (that) → presenting your intuitive guess
My hunch is that they'll announce it on Friday.
Verb Patterns
hunch over + noun → to bend forward over something
He was hunched over his phone, barely looking up.
hunch one's shoulders → to raise and curve the shoulders forward
She hunched her shoulders against the cold wind.
Collocations
7 collocationshave a hunch
to have an intuitive feeling about something
follow a hunch
to act on an instinctive feeling
play a hunch
to make a decision based purely on gut feeling
just a hunch
a modest way of presenting an unproven feeling
hunch over
to bend the body forward, usually over something
hunched shoulders
shoulders raised and curved forward
prove a hunch right
when an intuitive guess turns out to be correct
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
I had a hunch that the meeting would be cancelled, and I was right.
I had a gut feeling the meeting wouldn't happen, and it turned out to be true.
2
The journalist followed a hunch and uncovered a massive corruption scandal.
The reporter acted on instinct and exposed a huge case of corruption.
3
He sat hunched over his desk for eight hours without taking a single break.
He spent eight hours bent forward at his desk without any rest.
4
"Just a hunch, but I think they're going to offer you the job."
I have a feeling, though I can't prove it, that you'll get the position.
5
She hunched her shoulders as the icy wind hit her face.
She curved her shoulders forward to shield herself from the freezing wind.
6
My hunch is that the market will drop again before it recovers.
I instinctively feel the market will fall further before bouncing back.
7
The old woman walked slowly, hunched under the weight of her shopping bags.
The elderly lady moved slowly, her body bent forward from the heavy bags.
8
Detectives played a hunch and searched the suspect's second property.
The investigators acted on gut instinct and checked the suspect's other house.
9
Stop hunching — your posture is getting worse every week.
Stop curving your back forward — the way you sit is deteriorating.
10
It was nothing more than a hunch, but it turned out to be exactly right.
It was purely an instinctive guess, but it proved completely accurate.
Phrasal Verbs & Idioms
2 items Idioms & Expressionshave a hunch — to have an intuitive feeling that something is true without evidence
I have a hunch we're going to win this one.
play a hunch — to take a risk based entirely on gut feeling
He decided to play a hunch and invest everything in the startup.
Synonyms & Antonyms
7 items
Synonymsintuition
a more formal word for the same inner knowing
gut feeling
informal — very close in meaning, emphasises the physical sensation
instinct
a natural, automatic response — slightly broader than hunch
suspicion
similar but slightly more negative — implies doubt about someone
Antonymscertainty
knowing something for sure — the opposite of guessing
evidence
factual proof rather than gut feeling
proof
concrete confirmation — removes the need for hunches