as in scraping
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of crunching
The researchers had some disturbing findings after crunching the data.
—
Korin Miller, SELF, 10 Mar. 2026
Number crunching As with the Autumn Budget, the Spring Statement is accompanied by the latest economic and fiscal outlook from the OBR, which assesses the government's tax and spending plans.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
Matas Vokietaitis sets a crunching screen on Xaivian Lee, gets his dunk attenpt blocked, and Boogie Fland ties the game with a 3-pointer.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 25 Feb. 2026
Designed as a buildable mist, this flexible, brushable spray keeps your style in place without adding stiffness or causing flaking and crunching.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 22 Feb. 2026
Now sitting 35th in the latest Pairwise rankings that help determine the 16-team NCAA field, one numbers-crunching website recently gave Minnesota just a 2% chance of making a sixth consecutive trip to the national tournament.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 11 Feb. 2026
By crunching data from millions of monthly payroll records for workers in jobs with exposure to generative AI, the authors concluded that workers ages 22 to 25—the canaries—have seen about a 13 percent decline in employment since late 2022.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Santa Clara, California — Mike Vrabel made his nnname in the NFL as a crunching outside linebacker, delivering punishment to opposing offenses and blowing up their plays on his way to winning multiple Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
NeeDoh balls are a recent favorite, including ones with fun, relaxing textures and this snowball that makes a satisfying crunching sound.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 3 Feb. 2026
Korin Miller, SELF, 10 Mar. 2026
Number crunching As with the Autumn Budget, the Spring Statement is accompanied by the latest economic and fiscal outlook from the OBR, which assesses the government's tax and spending plans.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
Matas Vokietaitis sets a crunching screen on Xaivian Lee, gets his dunk attenpt blocked, and Boogie Fland ties the game with a 3-pointer.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 25 Feb. 2026
Designed as a buildable mist, this flexible, brushable spray keeps your style in place without adding stiffness or causing flaking and crunching.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 22 Feb. 2026
Now sitting 35th in the latest Pairwise rankings that help determine the 16-team NCAA field, one numbers-crunching website recently gave Minnesota just a 2% chance of making a sixth consecutive trip to the national tournament.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 11 Feb. 2026
By crunching data from millions of monthly payroll records for workers in jobs with exposure to generative AI, the authors concluded that workers ages 22 to 25—the canaries—have seen about a 13 percent decline in employment since late 2022.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Santa Clara, California — Mike Vrabel made his nnname in the NFL as a crunching outside linebacker, delivering punishment to opposing offenses and blowing up their plays on his way to winning multiple Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
NeeDoh balls are a recent favorite, including ones with fun, relaxing textures and this snowball that makes a satisfying crunching sound.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunching
Verb
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First, test the shoots by scraping a few stems to see how much cold damaged occurred.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2026
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Process, scraping down sides as needed, until mixture is very smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The director, a graduate of the AFI conservatory, spent two summers growing up gritting his teeth at an all-boys sleepaway sports camp.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Dec. 2025
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Bob Donnan / Imagn Images North Carolina and head coach Bill Belichick picked up a second straight ACC win on Saturday, gritting to a 20-15 victory over Stanford in Chapel Hill.—
Justin Williams,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Modern cosmic data analysis faces some truly head-scratching algorithmic challenges, demanding not just cleverness, but brand-new ways to hunt for answers across vast conceptual spaces.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
22 Mar. 2026
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The wild card for Milwaukee is Jacob Misiorowski, one of the most talented young arms in the game who is still just scratching the surface of his potential.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crunching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunching. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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