hunch
B2Informal to Neutral. Common in spoken and everyday written English; less common in highly formal or technical writing.
Definition
Meaning
A feeling or intuitive guess about something that might be true, but for which you have no concrete evidence.
1. (n.) An intuitive feeling or suspicion. 2. (n.) A rounded hump or curve in the back. 3. (v.) To raise or draw up one's shoulders and back into a bent posture.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The 'intuitive guess' meaning is the most frequent in modern usage. The physical 'hump' meaning is now less common, often replaced by 'hump' or 'curve'. As a verb for posture, it is still current and often reflexive ('to hunch oneself over').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in core meaning or usage.
Connotations
Slightly more common in American media (e.g., 'I have a hunch') but fully standard in both.
Frequency
Comparable frequency in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
have + DET + hunch + (that-clause)hunch + that-clausehunch + over/acrosshunch + shouldersVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “play a hunch”
- “have a hunch (that...)”
- “a hunch pays off”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"My hunch is the market will react poorly to the merger." Used for informal predictions or risk assessments.
Academic
Rare in formal writing. May appear in qualitative research discussing researcher intuition.
Everyday
Very common. "I had a hunch you'd be here." "She hunched over her phone."
Technical
Not typical, except perhaps in ergonomics/posture studies for the verb form.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- I've got a hunch that the train will be delayed.
- He walked with a noticeable hunch in his later years.
American English
- My hunch was right—they did cancel the project.
- She acted on a pure gut hunch.
verb
British English
- He hunched his shoulders against the cold rain.
- Try not to hunch over your desk all day.
American English
- She hunched down in the seat to avoid being seen.
- The cat hunched its back and hissed.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He has a hunch. It will rain soon.
- I had a hunch you would like this restaurant.
- Why are you hunched over your computer?
- Despite the data, her hunch told her to invest in the startup.
- The old man walked slowly, his back forming a permanent hunch.
- The detective's successful career was built less on forensic science and more on an uncanny ability to play his hunches.
- Prolonged poor posture can lead to a thoracic hunch, known medically as kyphosis.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a detective with a HUMP on his back (a physical HUNCH) staring at clues, suddenly having a 'gut feeling' (a mental HUNCH) about the culprit.
Conceptual Metaphor
INTUITION IS A PHYSICAL SHAPE/BURDEN (e.g., 'I have a hunch', 'carry a hunch', 'a gut feeling' links emotion to body).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Not 'предчувствие' which is closer to 'premonition'. Closer to 'интуитивное ощущение', 'догадка'. The physical 'hunch' (горб) is a different, less common meaning.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'hunch' as a verb for the mental sense (incorrect: *'I hunch he's lying'; correct: 'I have a hunch he's lying'). Confusing 'hunch' with 'hypothesis' (which is more formal and evidence-based).
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'hunch' correctly?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is informal to neutral. In formal writing, prefer 'intuition', 'suspicion', or 'hypothesis' depending on context.
No. As a verb, it only refers to the physical action of bending the body. For the mental sense, you must use it as a noun: 'I have a hunch (that)...'
A hunch implies an intuitive feeling or suspicion, often subconscious. A guess is a more general, conscious estimate, which may or may not be based on intuition.
Yes, 'gut feeling' (or 'gut instinct') is a very close synonym, often used interchangeably, and emphasizes the visceral, non-rational nature of the intuition.
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