1
as in crumpled
to create (as by crushing) an irregular mass of creases in
scrunched up the shirt and tossed it in the laundry
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrunched
Further inspection found a Mexican citizen scrunched into a makeshift, dry compartment in the gas tank that February day.
—
Jim Radcliffe, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
Reduce frizz, add shine, and offer your curls a soft, flexible hold with Bumble and Bumble's Curl Defining Styling Cream, which should be scrunched into wet hair from mid-shaft to ends before air drying or diffusing.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 25 Mar. 2026
James then scrunched his face into a sarcastic, close-eyed smile.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
This faux leather style features an elegant, rounded collar and scrunched sleeves that together create a bold, endlessly versatile piece that can be thrown over a dress and knee-high boots for an afternoon brunch, or paired with denim and sneakers for a day of exploring.
—Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2026
Dries Van Noten wrapped a denim trench coat in a colorful, tapestry-like belts, scrunched baggy jeans into shin-grazing boots and added a bomber-style collar to a denim blazer.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 11 Mar. 2026
Talayah Walker scrunched her eyebrows at the podium when Georgia Tech coach Karen Blair mentioned — in a complimentary way — that her star sophomore had committed only one turnover Sunday.
—Stan Awtrey, AJC.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Late in the third quarter, Buzelis turned away from the basket and scrunched up his face in a grimace of disgust.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026
Fatigue is just part of the deal this season with the schedule scrunched up because of the Olympics.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Jim Radcliffe, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
Reduce frizz, add shine, and offer your curls a soft, flexible hold with Bumble and Bumble's Curl Defining Styling Cream, which should be scrunched into wet hair from mid-shaft to ends before air drying or diffusing.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 25 Mar. 2026
James then scrunched his face into a sarcastic, close-eyed smile.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
This faux leather style features an elegant, rounded collar and scrunched sleeves that together create a bold, endlessly versatile piece that can be thrown over a dress and knee-high boots for an afternoon brunch, or paired with denim and sneakers for a day of exploring.
—Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2026
Dries Van Noten wrapped a denim trench coat in a colorful, tapestry-like belts, scrunched baggy jeans into shin-grazing boots and added a bomber-style collar to a denim blazer.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 11 Mar. 2026
Talayah Walker scrunched her eyebrows at the podium when Georgia Tech coach Karen Blair mentioned — in a complimentary way — that her star sophomore had committed only one turnover Sunday.
—Stan Awtrey, AJC.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Late in the third quarter, Buzelis turned away from the basket and scrunched up his face in a grimace of disgust.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026
Fatigue is just part of the deal this season with the schedule scrunched up because of the Olympics.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrunched
Verb
-
Video shows two people rushing out of a motorcoach waiting at the red light and running over to the victim lying crumpled on the street, while a pedestrian also rushes over to her from the curb.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Whatever the plan was last year, Mougey and Glenn crumpled it up and threw it in the trash.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When The Times connected with Reyes, she was crouched down backstage at the Lovinger Theatre at Lehman College in the Bronx.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Jones’ wife Marie came out to the mound for the first pitch with daughters Jami and Staci, who threw the ball to Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman crouched behind the plate.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bird poop scraped off a man’s car appeared on a drug test as cocaine.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The next day, the eggs bonded tightly to the metal and could be neither folded nor rolled nor, indeed, actually extracted from the pan or even scraped from it.—
Jeffrey Steingarten,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The ground beef was chopped fine on the grill and folded together with sweet, softened onions and perfectly melted American cheese, all tucked into a soft roll with crisp lettuce and tomato for balance.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Romero said cities and counties should control development, but favors an annexation approach where portions of unincorporated areas are essentially folded into the city and its infrastructure.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Things are scary right now, but the Plums are still high school girls, huddled together in a strange place, their adrenaline levels high and their supervision levels suddenly low.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The other photo shows two of the cubs huddled in a corner of a habitat, with one eyeing the camera timidly.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
6 Apr. 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
Verb
-
The last thing Louise saw before losing consciousness was this woman’s face, wrinkled in an unapologetic way, old, shamelessly old, defiantly so.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
When selecting pencil-thin asparagus, make sure the skin is not wrinkled, as this is a sign of dehydration or woodiness.—
Victoria Spencer,
Martha Stewart,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas was scratched shortly before the first pitch to attend to a family matter.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Hunt has been scratched 17 games in a row since March 1.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrunched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrunched. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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