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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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

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

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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
  • People should immediately wash cuts and scrapes thoroughly with soap and clean running water after coming in contact with coastal waters or raw seafood, the CDC said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The tool scrapes third-party sources to compile additional information and context about individual tracks.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026
Definition of scrapes
Verb
  • Most bankrupt airlines are purchased whole, including their data, by another airline which folds it into those operations.
    — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Fire it up, and the robot folds out and brings the camera up above the phone's screen, where it's pointed at you for selfies, vlogging, and even some anthropomorphized interaction.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 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

Browse Nearby Words

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 26 Aug. 2026.

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