scrunched

past tense of scrunch
1
2
as in crouched
to lie low with the limbs close to the body the climbers scrunched down on the leeward side of a large boulder and waited for the storm to pass

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in scraped
to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound scrunched loose gravel with every footstep

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scrunched Sitting at the defendant’s table, Flynn scrunched up his face and appeared to be crying as the 911 call was played aloud. — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026 Sheer tees scrunched and stretched in awkward ways at Brandon Maxwell. — Alison Syrett Cleary, InStyle, 16 Sep. 2026 The bottle is scrunched up, but the distinctive logo from the ABC series remains. — Rance Collins, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2026 As the players headed to their benches and the officials took their customary walks to the scorer’s table for the time out, Atkinson scrunched his face, stuck out his hands, and mockingly clapped toward Blair — who ignored the obvious taunt. — Joe Vardon, New York Times, 11 May 2026 Louis' scrunched up face got an affectionate giggle out of his dad as the two sat side-by-side at the 80th anniversary of VE Day in 2025. — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026 Mind you, that was also by design — the west side of the stadium was roped off entirely, so that 50% of capacity was scrunched into one half of the building. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 12 Apr. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrunched
Verb
  • The silver vehicle lay upside down in the Uncompahgre River, crumpled like an aluminum can.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • At the beginning of a normal Friday practice in Week 11, Bowman crumpled to the grass at the Falcons’ practice facility.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • State police said the preliminary investigation by its homicide unit indicated that Moorhead had been crouched close to the ground in an open field, hunting, when Soto passed by with a man and two children.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The left-handed batter took a 2-2 fastball just below the knees, crouched and shook his head.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • To get the tortoise’s DNA material, Jonathan’s veterinarian Joe Hollins pretended to feed him, wedged his mouth open with a hard glove and scraped cells from inside his cheek.
    — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Most of these super-Earths orbit frighteningly close to their host stars and have long since had their atmospheres scraped away, leaving them baked, parched rocks.
    — Space.com Staff, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • During demonstrations, the researchers folded the material diagonally in opposite directions, and its digital counterpart followed the changing geometry.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The girls of summer Women's pro baseball has been largely inactive in this country since the pioneering All-American Girls Professional Baseball League folded 72 years ago.
    — David Morgan, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Newsom is said to have huddled with both sides to try and hammer out a deal.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Photos shared on social media showed dozens of construction workers huddled together.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Grated or gritted cornbread is a late-summer Appalachian tradition.
    — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 30 July 2026
  • Both of these teams are elite and gritted through losses in the College World Series to get to these finals.
    — Chris Branch, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Verb
  • The same men worked in the lobby—a little fatter, a little more wrinkled and gray.
    — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Softer interpretations of the trench were ruched, pouffed and purposefully wrinkled.
    — Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Atlanta scratched across three runs against a shaky Blake Snell and a parade of Dodgers relievers, while Ray Kerr and Didier Fuentes, among others, held the powerful LA lineup to just two.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • San Jose Sharks star center Macklin Celebrini was scratched from the team's lineup at the Dallas Stars on Monday night because of a lower-body injury, and coach Ryan Warsofsky said the 20-year-old face of the franchise was still being evaluated.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Scrunched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrunched. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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