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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crunching
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
After crunching the data, the researchers found that women who reported having higher levels of anxiety about getting older also had faster epigenetic aging.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 16 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
Howard was guided to an area near The Stewpot, the icy grass crunching below his feet.
—Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
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
After crunching the data, the researchers found that women who reported having higher levels of anxiety about getting older also had faster epigenetic aging.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 16 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
Howard was guided to an area near The Stewpot, the icy grass crunching below his feet.
—Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunching
Verb
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Papa Johns had 170 restaurants in Ohio in 2025, according to the data-scraping website ScrapeHero.—
James Powel,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2026
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There were bits of physical comedy — the flower, the bowing and scraping around Catherine de Bourgh — that was kind of clowning, really.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 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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When not used correctly, aluminum foil can cause problems such as blocking air vents, scratching the enamel of your oven, starting a fire if used in the microwave, or causing uneven cooking of cookies.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
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There was something about the footprints disappearing in the powder dusting the sidewalks, the heaps of dirty snow that the kids tried to conquer like Everest, and dogs nearly my size scratching their backs on a tiny patch of ice that resonated with me.—
Leslie Hsu Oh,
Outside,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crunching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunching. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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