scrunches

verb

present tense third-person singular of scrunch
1
as in crumples
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in crouches
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 scrapes
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 scrunches Four exercises, including the toe scrunches, to help improve balance. — Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026 The clear formula is lightweight but substantial enough to create a cast that scrunches out softly, leaving hair touchable instead of stiff. — Malia Griggs, Glamour, 30 Sep. 2025 Hiddleston scrunches his eyes a bit at the statement. — Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 22 Aug. 2025 Her nose scrunches up like something smells bad in here. — Nicola Dall'asen, Allure, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrunches
  1. crumples
  2. crouches
  3. scrapes
  4. folds
  5. grits
  6. crunches
Verb
  • My now-husband and I were newly a couple and still working out the kinks and crumples in an evolving relationship.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The man crumples to the ground while the officer turns to walk away as the other officers stand by.
    — Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 11 Oct. 2025
Definition of crumples
Verb
  • The child folds over and crouches on the ground while the performance continues for several seconds.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
  • Sometimes a less reliable dog will smell in this manner the hot body scent of venison as a trembling doe crouches close in the brush upwind.
    — Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026
Definition of crouches
Verb
  • The tool scrapes third-party sources to compile additional information and context about individual tracks.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026
  • Her older brother, 9-year-old Charlie, climbs across the nearby jungle gym at a Prairie Village playground as her younger brother, 3-year-old Will, scrapes a stick through the mulch.
    — Anna Spoerre, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026
Definition of scrapes
Verb
  • The rooms Those heart-melting pastel colors that glow as Venice and her lagoon move from daytime into evening have been collated here in room decor, which brings the outdoors inside and folds it into midcentury-modern style and comfort.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Since then, Jabees has improved on its design, with a compact twin-speaker unit that folds up into a compact package when not in use and spreads out flat under any pillow when needed.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of folds
Verb
  • Then the coach known as the most impulsive man on an NFL sideline runs that stop sign, grits his teeth and breaks unbound into character.
    — Michael Silver, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Definition of grits
Verb
  • Each month, Edward Flores crunches the numbers.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026
  • Energage administers an employee survey that covers 26 factors and then crunches the feedback data and scores companies based on the responses.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
Definition of crunches

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scrunched
scrunches
scrunching
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Cite this Entry

“Scrunches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrunches. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on scrunches

Nglish: Translation of scrunches for Spanish Speakers

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