1
as in protruded
to extend outward beyond a usual point
the dress bunches a bit at the waist
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in huddled
to gather into a closely packed group
the slow service caused the customers at the pick-up counter to bunch up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bunched
This was a bit of a daunting Pips grid, with so many tiles all bunched together, but once again there weren’t a ton of different conditions to juggle.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Jaron braced himself, his face bunched in trepidation, waiting for her outburst.
—Annie Proulx, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
Instead of being evenly spread out along the material’s lattice (or atomic arrangement), electrons bunched together in certain regions and spread out in others, forming a wave pattern—or a charge density wave (CDW) phase.
—Meghie Rodrigues, IEEE Spectrum, 23 July 2025
Only 13 of these wildlife portals exist in the study area stretching 102 miles, and they are bunched around San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge east of Douglas and the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area southeast of Sierra Vista.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 27 Nov. 2024
So Yates turned instead to draped silk gowns and bunched, Middle European–style cloaks for the aging princess, largely inspired by garments in 19th-century artworks by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, a Dutch painter of classical subjects.
—Elaina Patton, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
Plus, corduroy hides wrinkles remarkably well, so no one can notice them even if these get a little bunched up in my suitcase.
—Anne Taylor, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2024
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Jaron braced himself, his face bunched in trepidation, waiting for her outburst.
—Annie Proulx, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
Instead of being evenly spread out along the material’s lattice (or atomic arrangement), electrons bunched together in certain regions and spread out in others, forming a wave pattern—or a charge density wave (CDW) phase.
—Meghie Rodrigues, IEEE Spectrum, 23 July 2025
Only 13 of these wildlife portals exist in the study area stretching 102 miles, and they are bunched around San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge east of Douglas and the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area southeast of Sierra Vista.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 27 Nov. 2024
So Yates turned instead to draped silk gowns and bunched, Middle European–style cloaks for the aging princess, largely inspired by garments in 19th-century artworks by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, a Dutch painter of classical subjects.
—Elaina Patton, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
Plus, corduroy hides wrinkles remarkably well, so no one can notice them even if these get a little bunched up in my suitcase.
—Anne Taylor, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bunched
Verb
-
The event was broadcast live on YouTube, and groups of people sat on the grassy lawn in front of the Capitol huddled together around their phones, listening to the survivors, whose voices echoed across the wide square.—
Emily Goodin,
Miami Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The two seemingly began jawing at each other as players huddled up.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The post, which shared several photos from the outing, also poked fun at the couple getting caught in the rain while meeting with schoolchildren at the museum.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
-
While some people argued that the photo was degrading to women, Carpenter stood by the photo and poked fun at the controversy while sharing alternate album covers.—
Katherine Schaffstall,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Even from a young age, Ann seeks transcendence, and Fastvold conveys both the dark crowded muck of poverty and the young girl’s airy dreams of light and love.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The pet supplement space is crowded with options, many of which have cheerful packaging and confident claims, yet little transparency about efficacy.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Coleman had touchdown runs of 15, 1, 9, 7 and 5 yards to ignite the outburst as Washington piled up 628 yards and 34 touchdowns while limiting the Aggies to 218 yards and 13 first downs.—
Joe Davidosn,
Sacbee.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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The Chiefs piled up uncharacteristic mistakes, which began early when Kelce was moved off his route and collided with Worthy, causing Worthy to leave the game with a right shoulder injury.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And Pew Research finds Americans increasingly clustered into partisan camps, with fewer holding a mix of political views.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
-
During peak hours, when riders are most densely clustered, only about 13% of them needed to respond to cover 80% of cardiac arrest events.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bunched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bunched. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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