1
as in to crumple
to create (as by crushing) an irregular mass of creases in
scrunched up the shirt and tossed it in the laundry
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2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrunch
The department shared a photo from the rescue on Facebook the following day, showing the tiny nocturnal mammal with its face uncomfortably scrunched into the hole of a storm drain.
—
Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
The sequence lasts nearly two minutes without a word spoken by either: just Jess breathing deeply, eyes shut, face scrunched up, as Felix stares at the ceiling, then at her, before finally inching closer.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 10 July 2025
Why Jobe will not face Jude Rip up the paper, scrunch it up in a ball, and throw it in the bin.
—Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 1 July 2025
Audiences scrunched under the Jay Pritzker Pavilion fringe, only to play musical chairs dodging the structure’s many (and ever-changing) leaky spots.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrunch
Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
The sequence lasts nearly two minutes without a word spoken by either: just Jess breathing deeply, eyes shut, face scrunched up, as Felix stares at the ceiling, then at her, before finally inching closer.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 10 July 2025
Why Jobe will not face Jude Rip up the paper, scrunch it up in a ball, and throw it in the bin.
—Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 1 July 2025
Audiences scrunched under the Jay Pritzker Pavilion fringe, only to play musical chairs dodging the structure’s many (and ever-changing) leaky spots.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrunch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrunch
Verb
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Greco handed Honan an open bag of chips with the top crumpled.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
21 Aug. 2025
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Philippine Coast Guard via AP Video shows CCG 3104 in hot pursuit, deploying its water cannons, before turning starboard, right into the oncoming 7,500-ton destroyer, leaving the bow of the smaller ship visibly crumpled and twisted.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Duran crouched, hands on his knees, staring at his feet, as the Phillies’ training staff rushed to his side.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
16 Aug. 2025
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If the animal appears scared or defensive, such as crouching, hissing, growling, or retreating, back off and call animal control or a local rescue.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 July 2025
Verb
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There are 617 McDonald's restaurants in Ohio, according to the web scraping tool ScrapeHero.—
Alex Perry,
The Enquirer,
23 Aug. 2025
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Now, faced with the threat of homelessness and the possibility that Kenny could be taken into state care, Lynette is left alone to scrape together $25,000 by the following morning.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Gently fold in chocolate and marshmallows just until combined.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
23 Aug. 2025
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Remove the pan from the heat and fold in both soups, the sour cream, corn, peas, and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.—
Robin Miller,
AZCentral.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Just over two hours east of San Diego and 15 miles north of the Mexican border town of Mexicali, El Centro has both grit and charm.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Aug. 2025
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Traders can use that as their pivot point while longer-term investors may want to just grit their teeth and live through it — a decline like that would only make the dividend yield even more juicy.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Staring at his Zoom camera, Welles scratches his head and remains silent for 20 seconds.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
21 Aug. 2025
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According to team officials, Hayes was scratched for rest reasons while Zandalasini was ruled out with tightness in her left calf.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrunch. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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