munch

verb

ˈmənch 

munched; munching; munches

transitive verb

: to eat with a chewing action

… many a mouthful is munched in private …

—Washington Irving

also : to snack on

… drank coffee and munched homemade cookies …

—Lady Bird Johnson

intransitive verb

: to eat or chew something

also : snack

—usually used with on

muncher noun

Examples of munch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gone are the days of munching on popcorn from a basic paper tub. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 1 July 2026

The horses were all quietly munching hay or lying down in their roomy stalls. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 June 2026

Skip the potato chips and give your guests something extra flavorful to munch on. — Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 2 July 2026

The drive is all about the unexpected, from a moose munching on leaves at the side of the road to elk meandering along the tree line to bald eagles soaring overhead. — Rebecca Deurlein, Travel + Leisure, 17 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English monchen, probably of imitative origin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for munch

• brunch
• bunch
• chinch
• crunch
• hunch
• lunch
• punch
• keypunch

Kids Definition

munch

verb

ˈmənch 

: to eat with a chewing action

also : to snack on

munched popcorn and watched a movie

muncher noun

Biographical Definition

Munch 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈmᵫnch 

ˈmu̇nch

Charles 1891–1968 Alsatian-born conductor

Munch

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

ˈmu̇ŋk 

Edvard 1863–1944 Norwegian painter