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
Jackson Travis was sent off in the 34th minute for a crunching tackle on Raheem Edwards.
—
Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
Tax Day comes with paperwork, number-crunching, and a mild existential crisis, but dinner doesn’t have to suffer for it.
—Phoebe Fry, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
Wandering around the park, dry leaves crunching underfoot, feels like crashing a dress rehearsal, or an extremely chill treeworker renegade.
—Calin Van Paris, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
This was after enormous pressure from the industry and media who scrutinized the executive and the streamer given their history for crunching the window for titles between their theatrical play and ultimate debut on Netflix.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
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
Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
Tax Day comes with paperwork, number-crunching, and a mild existential crisis, but dinner doesn’t have to suffer for it.
—Phoebe Fry, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
Wandering around the park, dry leaves crunching underfoot, feels like crashing a dress rehearsal, or an extremely chill treeworker renegade.
—Calin Van Paris, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
This was after enormous pressure from the industry and media who scrutinized the executive and the streamer given their history for crunching the window for titles between their theatrical play and ultimate debut on Netflix.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunching
Verb
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In photo after photo, video after video, North Shore residents are painted in mud, scraping it off driveways, sweeping it out of kitchens and heaving it into trucks along with their household debris.—
Thomas Heaton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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Process for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth and sticky.—
Laura Mclively,
Mercury News,
10 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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Use gentle solutions like dish soap, baking soda, or vinegar to clean without scratching surfaces or leaving streaks.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
5 Apr. 2026
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The quest to find out why some Braves were celebrating hits by scratching their heads proved more arduous than expected.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crunching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunching. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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