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
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2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrunched
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
The beauty of a great lightweight puffer is that it can be worn as an insert or an overcoat, and it can even be tightly scrunched up into a tiny ball to use as a makeshift travel pillow on the plane.
—Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
Unlike a typical golden, her dog sports an underbite and scrunched nose, giving her a uniquely charming expression.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
The cast scrunched out easily, leaving curls soft and natural-looking.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 30 Sep. 2025
Kavya tugs on my arm, her nose is scrunched up, eyebrows discombobulated.
—Navdeep Singh Dhillon, Parents, 21 Aug. 2025
An image of his little face, scrunched in discomfort, but no sound coming from his little mouth, was instantly clear.
—Zoë Jones, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2025
GloRilla tapped into a too-cool-for-school uniform aesthetic at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, styling plaid with black peep-toe platform shoes and scrunched white socks.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
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
The beauty of a great lightweight puffer is that it can be worn as an insert or an overcoat, and it can even be tightly scrunched up into a tiny ball to use as a makeshift travel pillow on the plane.
—Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
Unlike a typical golden, her dog sports an underbite and scrunched nose, giving her a uniquely charming expression.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
The cast scrunched out easily, leaving curls soft and natural-looking.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 30 Sep. 2025
Kavya tugs on my arm, her nose is scrunched up, eyebrows discombobulated.
—Navdeep Singh Dhillon, Parents, 21 Aug. 2025
An image of his little face, scrunched in discomfort, but no sound coming from his little mouth, was instantly clear.
—Zoë Jones, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2025
GloRilla tapped into a too-cool-for-school uniform aesthetic at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, styling plaid with black peep-toe platform shoes and scrunched white socks.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrunched
Verb
-
Colbert took a paper copy with the CBS statement, crumpled it, and put it in a plastic bag typically used to collect dog feces.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Irving accidentally stepped on then-Kings center Jonas Valančiūnas’ foot and crumpled to the ground in pain.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There is a drawing of a child crouched on a ride-on suitcase, notes for a joke Fleming posted online in January.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Her husband pushed her into the bathroom while others crouched down in the hallway.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The restorer suspected a later 19th-century addition and carefully scraped back a corner to see what lay beneath.—
Mark Ellwood,
Robb Report,
1 Mar. 2026
-
This material has been scraped, copied and reused with no common standards to enable permission or payment, weakening the economic model that supports journalism.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
26 Feb. 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,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Finally, the vanilla and almond extracts are folded in, which give the cake its signature taste.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cats found in and around Maryland home Once at the house, officials found cats huddled together outside.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Underpaid lecturers huddled closer to their space heaters, submerging themselves deeper in Aramaic love poetry to stave off thoughts of the damp.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 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
-
Bad potatoes might be mushy, bruised, wrinkled, moldy, or green.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Minutes stretched into hours as Evelyn focused on ensuring her wedding ring didn't slip off her fingers, now waterlogged and wrinkled.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And Hedman — who waited 17 years into his NHL career for his first and likely only chance to play in the Winter Games — had a premature end to his stay, scratched from Sweden’s quarterfinal game against the United States after suffering a lower-body injury during warmups.—
Eduardo A. Encina,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2026
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Don’t toss that scratched-up, questionably stained, borderline EPA Superfund site, 12-year-old cutting board just yet!—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrunched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrunched. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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