1
as in crumpling
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
as in crouching
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrunching
And some ankle booties with wedge heels might appear moderate, but can actually throw your weight onto the balls of your feet, scrunching your toes up against the toe box.
—
Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2025
Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrunching
Verb
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The sixth inning also featured a frightening moment when Cleveland’s David Fry, squaring around to bunt, took a 99 mph fastball from Skubal off his face, crumpling to the dirt as Skubal reacted with distress.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Singh’s truck blocked both lanes of the northbound Turnpike, leading the Chrysler Town & Country minivan the three friends were riding in to slam into the semi’s 18-wheeler trailer, crumpling underneath it.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Video later showed a man climbing a staircase to a common area beside the building, scaling a wall and crouching on the rooftop.—
Stepheny Price , Alexandra Koch , Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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The study team investigated 54 crouching burials that had previously been found at 11 archaeological sites.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Blood curdling screams and chains scraping against the ground can be heard throughout the prison.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Beat together brown sugar and butter with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on high speed until light and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.—
Sheri Castle,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But instead of folding in the face of adversity, Penix rose to the occasion and put together arguably the best performance of his career, which has seemingly given him a huge confidence boost moving forward.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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Hayslett dropped the news during her recent stop on The Breakfast Club, folding her growing empire into a platform designed to amplify Black voices.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Security camera footage revealed that Tyrese’s dogs were running loose and scratching at a neighbor’s door across the street minutes before Henry was attacked and killed.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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Security footage from a nearby house showed the dogs scratching at someone’s door and running through yards before Henry was allegedly attacked.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Then there’s Vince Panaro, the main character of the season and weasel of all weasels, a man whose mere mention triggers noses wrinkling in distaste.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
27 Sep. 2025
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Stored this way, limes should last for about a month or longer with wrinkling or drying up.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
21 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrunching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrunching. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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