as in scraped
to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound
I could hear the bicycle gears crunch as I shifted the derailleur
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Recent Examples of crunched
Disney’s fiscal year ends in the fall, but THR crunched the numbers for calendar year 2025 to use figures for the same period as the company’s peers.
—
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Mar. 2026
Like the hoods of two cars in a traffic accident, the continents crunched together, simultaneously shortening and flexing.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2026
When the numbers were crunched, Bogotá, Colombia, took the crown as the most authentic city in the world.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 20 Feb. 2026
To put this spending into perspective, Jefferies analysts crunched the numbers on flight costs.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
Kim’s beautiful mah-jong set was the focal point of the room, but everyone was a little too tired and time-crunched amid a hectic fashion week to play a round of the game.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 12 Feb. 2026
While Rivkah crunched numbers by day, Robby crushed stand-up sets by night.
—Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
Henry Bushnell crunched the numbers.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Travel site Skyscanner has crunched the numbers and estimated the 10 cheapest destinations to book in 2026.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Mar. 2026
Like the hoods of two cars in a traffic accident, the continents crunched together, simultaneously shortening and flexing.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2026
When the numbers were crunched, Bogotá, Colombia, took the crown as the most authentic city in the world.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 20 Feb. 2026
To put this spending into perspective, Jefferies analysts crunched the numbers on flight costs.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
Kim’s beautiful mah-jong set was the focal point of the room, but everyone was a little too tired and time-crunched amid a hectic fashion week to play a round of the game.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 12 Feb. 2026
While Rivkah crunched numbers by day, Robby crushed stand-up sets by night.
—Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
Henry Bushnell crunched the numbers.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Travel site Skyscanner has crunched the numbers and estimated the 10 cheapest destinations to book in 2026.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunched
Verb
-
There were scraped knees, arguments about whether the ball was fair or foul, and orange slices at halftime.—
Mark J. Friedlander,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
-
MAKfam, a Chinese restaurant with a Michelin nod for its value, faced a tough first-round opponent, The Empress Seafood, and scraped out a win.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But the Olympic debutant gritted her teeth and tried to forget about her throbbing, bruised knee.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Westlake graduate missed just one game earlier this season but gritted his way through an undisclosed injury.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crunched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunched. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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