bunch

¹bunch

noun \ˈbənch\

Definition of BUNCH

1

: protuberance, swelling

2

a : a number of things of the same kind <a bunch of grapes>

b : group 2a <a bunch of friends>

c : a considerable amount : lot <a bunch of money>

— bunch·i·ly \ˈbən-chə-lē\ adverb

— bunchy \-chē\ adjective

Examples of BUNCH

1. He always had a bunch of keys on his belt.
2. Dried herbs hung in bunches from the kitchen rafters.

Origin of BUNCH

Middle English bunche

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to BUNCH

Synonyms

body, gang, circle, clan, clique, community, coterie, coven, crowd, fold, galère, klatch (also klatsch), lot, network, pack, ring, set

Antonyms

cavity, concave, concavity, dent, depression, dint, hollow, indent, indentation, indenture, pit, recess

Related Words

charmed circle, elite, in-group; closed shop; club, college, fellowship, guild (also gild), league, organization, society; camp, faction, sect, side, tribe; mess, squad; brotherhood, fraternity, order, sisterhood, sodality, sorority; commune; alliance, bloc, coalition, confederation, congress, council, federation, union

Near Antonyms

loner; individualist

Rhymes with BUNCH

brunch, crunch, hunch, lunch, munch, punch, scrunch

²bunch

verb

Definition of BUNCH

intransitive verb

1

: swell, protrude

2

: to form a group or cluster —often used with up

transitive verb

: to form into a bunch

Examples of BUNCH

1. The child's tights bunched at the ankles.
2. <the dress bunches a bit at the waist>

First Known Use of BUNCH

14th century

Related to BUNCH

Synonyms

bag, balloon, beetle, belly, billow, bulge, jut, overhang, poke, pooch [chiefly dialect], pouch, pout, project, protrude, stand out, start, stick out, swell

Related Words

dome; blow up, inflate; dilate, distend, expand; mushroom, snowball; elongate, extend, lengthen, stretch

Near Antonyms

compress, condense, constrict, contract, shrink