munched; munching; munches

transitive verb

: to eat with a chewing action
many a mouthful is munched in privateWashington 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 Last year, a bear and her cub removed the screen of an open window to get into a California home — and then munched on a box of doughnuts. CBS News, 19 Sep. 2023 These cellar spiders hide quietly in a corner, munching on little flies and other small insects that wander by. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2023 While drinking milkshakes and munching on fries, the young men reflected on quitting the football team and walking away from its notorious coach, Rush Propst. Kyle Whitmire | Kwhitmire@al.com, al, 29 Aug. 2023 With new perspective and a fresh sense of anger, Reggie sets out to take revenge on Doug and his confidants come with him on a humorous Homeric odyssey, tussling with a hungry eagle, running afoul of animal control and munching some seriously funky mushrooms. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 18 Aug. 2023 On both sides of the fence, parents sprawl on the grass, munching watermelon slices. Gabby Sobelman, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2023 The term is fairly new on TikTok (and viral, too, with more than 2 billion views of videos featuring people munching away, watching YouTube videos on repeat, or simply scrolling through Instagram from the comfort of their beds). Jenna Ryu, SELF, 1 Aug. 2023 The beagle, who is 4, loves sunbathing and belly rubs, munching on crushed ice and, most of all, lounging in her bed. Johnny Diaz, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2023 Howard Hughes hoarded his urine; Michael Jackson spent millions to bring giraffes, alligators, a bear, elephants, and apes to live at his ranch and private zoo; and Steve Jobs munched on nothing but carrots and apples for weeks, despite his skin turning orange. Frederick Kaufman, Fortune, 30 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'munch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English monchen, probably of imitative origin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of munch was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near munch

Cite this Entry

“Munch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/munch. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

munch

verb
: 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)

Charles 1891–1968 Alsatian-born conductor

Munch

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Edvard 1863–1944 Norwegian painter

More from Merriam-Webster on munch

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