hunch

C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /hʌntʃ/ UK /hʌntʃ/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like haunch /ʌ/ vs /ɑ/

Meanings

1

noun
an intuitive feeling or guess; also, to arch the back forward

I had a hunch the train would be late, and I was right.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an intuitive feeling or... intuition feeling inkling suspicion premonition presentiment hump arch

Word family

Derived forms hunched

Common collocations

hunch over Verb + adverb

Etymology

Of uncertain origin, first recorded in the 16th century meaning 'to push, shove'; the sense 'intuitive feeling' (American, 19th c.) may derive from the gambler's notion of a push toward luck.

Topics

Space, Position & Direction

External links

# hunch

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /hʌntʃ/
**IPA (UK):** /hʌntʃ/

## Meanings
1. an intuitive feeling or guess; also, to arch the back forward

## Examples
- I had a hunch the train would be late, and I was right.

## Synonyms
- intuition
- feeling
- inkling
- suspicion
- premonition
- presentiment
- hump
- arch

## Derived Forms
- hunched

## Etymology
Of uncertain origin, first recorded in the 16th century meaning 'to push, shove'; the sense 'intuitive feeling' (American, 19th c.) may derive from the gambler's notion of a push toward luck.

## AI Etymology
Hunch is of uncertain origin, first recorded in the 16th century meaning 'to push, shove'; the sense 'intuitive feeling' (American, 19th c.) may derive from the gambler's notion of a push toward luck. Its deeper history remains uncertain, with proposed links left as possibilities rather than a single settled derivation. The current sense covers an intuitive feeling or guess; also, to arch the back forward. The wider family includes derived forms such as hunched.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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