hunker down vs hunker

hunker down and hunker both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
hunker down	No	No	Yes	No
hunker	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, hunker down and hunker are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of hunker down include crouch, scrunch, scrunch up, squat.

hunker down (verb)	hunker (verb)
hold stubbornly to a position	sit on one's heels
sit on one's heels
take shelter