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
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Recent Examples of crunching
After crunching the numbers, Thelwell says the pub serves 10,000 orders of fish and chips a year.
—
Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Instead, Excel eliminated their routine number-crunching tasks and freed up accountants to move into more complex advisory work.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 4 May 2026
Petrovic made an impact early, crunching Nick Foligno against the boards between the benches, leaving Foligno in considerable pain.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Scratch him behind the ears and say Good boy over and over so the horse might tire of hearing it, but Pal never would, crunching his peppermint in sweet victory—even defeat.
—Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
That's the order of profitability from best to worst when crunching the returns a $50,000 deposit can earn with these account types now.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
After crunching the numbers, the researchers discovered that 1-standard deviation increase in optimism was linked with a 15 percent lower risk of developing dementia.
—Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 9 Apr. 2026
After crunching the numbers, the researchers discovered that adults who had never been married had significantly higher rates of developing cancer compared to those who were married or had been married.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 8 Apr. 2026
Jackson Travis was sent off in the 34th minute for a crunching tackle on Raheem Edwards.
—Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Instead, Excel eliminated their routine number-crunching tasks and freed up accountants to move into more complex advisory work.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 4 May 2026
Petrovic made an impact early, crunching Nick Foligno against the boards between the benches, leaving Foligno in considerable pain.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Scratch him behind the ears and say Good boy over and over so the horse might tire of hearing it, but Pal never would, crunching his peppermint in sweet victory—even defeat.
—Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
That's the order of profitability from best to worst when crunching the returns a $50,000 deposit can earn with these account types now.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
After crunching the numbers, the researchers discovered that 1-standard deviation increase in optimism was linked with a 15 percent lower risk of developing dementia.
—Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 9 Apr. 2026
After crunching the numbers, the researchers discovered that adults who had never been married had significantly higher rates of developing cancer compared to those who were married or had been married.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 8 Apr. 2026
Jackson Travis was sent off in the 34th minute for a crunching tackle on Raheem Edwards.
—Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunching
Verb
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Pour hot milk mixture over batter, scraping pan clean with spatula, and mix with beater on low speed until incorporated and batter is smooth, about 1 minute.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Apr. 2026
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Blend until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.—
Maddy Bendgen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Apr. 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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They’re specifically designed for glass cooktop surfaces and have two sides—a gritty, sandpaper-like one on one side and a soft sponge on the other that gently scrub off stubborn messes and stuck-on bits without scratching or damaging the glass.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
3 May 2026
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The guy who went overseas to play, and then coach basketball, couldn’t even nab a Division III coaching gig before scratching and clawing his way into the NBA.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crunching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunching. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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