hunch

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

hunch, n. [Perh. akin to huckle; cf. hump, hunch, bunch, hunk.].

•  A hump; a protuberance.  [1913 Webster]
•  A lump; a thick piece; as, a hunch of bread.  [1913 Webster]
•  A push or thrust, as with the elbow.  [1913 Webster]
•  A strong, intuitive impression that something will happen; -- said to be from the gambler's superstition that it brings luck to touch the hump of a hunchback.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

hunch, v. t. 

•  To push or jostle with the elbow; to push or thrust suddenly.  [1913 Webster]
•  To thrust out a hump or protuberance; to crook, as the back.  Dryden.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

hunch, v. & n.
--v.
1 tr. bend or arch into a hump.
2 tr. thrust out or up to form a hump.
3 intr. (usu. foll. by up) US sit with the body hunched.
--n.
1 an intuitive feeling or conjecture.
2 a hint.
3 a hump.
4 a thick piece.

Etymology

16th c.: orig. unkn.

THESAURUS

hunch

arch, bend, bend back, bilge, blain, bleb, blind guess, blister, blob, bold conjecture, boss, bow, bubble, bulb, bulge, bulla, bump, bunch, burl, button, cahot, chine, chunk, clod, clump, condyle, conjecture, convex, cower, cringe, crook, crouch, curl, curve, decurve, deflect, dome, dowel, ear, embow, feeling, flange, flap, flex, foreboding, forefeeling, funny feeling, gall, get down, gnarl, gob, grovel, guess, handle, hill, hook, huddle, hump, hunch down, hunk, impression, incurvate, incurve, inflect, intimation, intuition, intuitive impression, jog, joggle, knob, knot, knur, knurl, lip, loop, lump, mole, mountain, nevus, nub, nubbin, nubble, nugget, papilloma, peg, perhaps, preapprehension, prediction, premonition, presage, presagement, presentiment, recurve, reflect, reflex, retroflex, rib, ridge, ring, rough guess, round, sag, scrouch down, shot, shoulder, speculation, spine, squat, stab, stoop, stud, style, surmise, suspicion, swag, sweep, tab, tubercle, tubercule, turn, unverified supposition, vague feeling, vague idea, vault, verruca, vesicle, wad, wale, wallow, wart, welt, welter, wild guess, wind

ROGET THESAURUS

hunch

Convexity

N convexity, prominence, projection, swelling, gibbosity, bilge, bulge, protuberance, protrusion, camber, cahot, thank-ye-ma'am, swell, intumescence, tumour, tumor, tubercle, tuberosity, excrescence, hump, hunch, bunch, boss, embossment, hub, hubble, tooth, knob, elbow, process, apophysis, condyle, bulb, node, nodule, nodosity, tongue, dorsum, bump, clump, sugar loaf, bow, mamelon, molar, belly, corporation, pot belly, gut, withers, back, shoulder, lip, flange, pimple, zit, wen, wheel, papula, pustule, pock, proud flesh, growth, sarcoma, caruncle, corn, wart, pappiloma, furuncle, polypus, fungus, fungosity, exostosis, bleb, blister, blain, boil, airbubble, blob, papule, verruca, papilla, nipple, teat, tit, titty, boob, knocker, pap, breast, dug, mammilla, proboscis, nose, neb, beak, snout, nozzle, schnoz, peg, button, stud, ridge, rib, jutty, trunnion, snag, cupola, dome, arch, balcony, eaves, pilaster, relief, relievo, cameo, bassorilievo, mezzorilevo, altorivievo, low relief, bas relief, high relief, hill, cape, promontory, mull, forehead, foreland, point of land, mole, jetty, hummock, ledge, spur, naze, ness, convex, prominent, protuberant, projecting, bossed, embossed, bossy, nodular, bunchy, clavate, clavated, claviform, hummocky, moutonne, mammiliform, papulous, papilose, hemispheric, bulbous, bowed, arched, bold, bellied, tuberous, tuberculous, tumous, cornute, odontoid, lentiform, lenticular, gibbous, club shaped, hubby, hubbly, knobby, papillose, saddle-shaped, selliform, subclavate, torose, ventricose, verrucose, salient, in relief, raised, repousse, bloated, (expanded).

& Sophistry

N intuition, instinct, association, hunch, gut feeling, presentiment, premonition, rule of thumb, superstition, astrology, faith (supposition), sophistry, paralogy, perversion, casuistry, jesuitry, equivocation, evasion, chicane, chicanery, quiddet, quiddity, mystification, special pleading, speciousness, nonsense, word sense, tongue sense, false reasoning, vicious reasoning, circular reasoning, petitio principii, ignoratio elenchi, post hoc ergo propter hoc, non sequitur, ignotum per ignotius, misjudgment, false teaching, sophism, solecism, paralogism, quibble, quirk, elenchus, elench, fallacy, quodlibet, subterfuge, subtlety, quillet, inconsistency, antilogy, a delusion, a mockery, and a snare, claptrap, cant, mere words, lame and impotent conclusion, meshes of sophistry, cobwebs of sophistry, flaw in an argument, weak point, bad case, overrefinement, hairsplitting, intuitive, instinctive, impulsive, independent of reason, anterior to reason, gratuitous, hazarded, unconnected, unreasonable, illogical, false, unsound, invalid, unwarranted, not following, inconsequent, inconsequential, inconsistent, absonous, absonant, unscientific, untenable, inconclusive, incorrect, fallacious, fallible, groundless, unproved, non sequitur, it does not follow, deceptive, sophistical, jesuitical, illusive, illusory, specious, hollow, plausible, ad captandum, evasive, irrelevant, weak, feeble, poor, flimsy, loose, vague, irrational, nonsensical, foolish, frivolous, pettifogging, quibbling, finespun, overrefined, at the end of one's tether, au bout de son latin, intuitively, by intuition, illogically, non constat, that goes for nothing.