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

Even mammals such as squirrels, which normally eat nuts that are safe for human consumption, will occasionally munch on mushrooms and nuts that are toxic to humans. — Tim MacWelch, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026

Goats are great at munching up unwanted vegetation; however, if they aren’t introduced immediately, the goats are no match. — Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Customers can look forward to munching on Chinese, Korean and Japanese snacks. — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026

Hanifin is a key minutes-munching performer for Vegas and Mintyukov took some strides toward all-situations responsibility on Anaheim’s second pairing. — Eric Stephens, New York Times, 5 July 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