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
In the meantime, Atomi encourages people to try the supine core and toe-scrunching exercises at home.
—
Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
He could be seen scrunching his face in anticipation.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground and use your toes to grab and curl the towel toward you, scrunching it up several times before switching sides.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 26 Dec. 2025
To re-create the style, Abramite recommends adding mousse to damp hair and blow-drying with a diffuser while scrunching for volume at the roots and expansion throughout.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 9 Oct. 2025
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
But on a multi-night getaway, scrunching a sweatshirt behind your head gets old fast.
—Emily Pennington, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Mar. 2025
Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
He could be seen scrunching his face in anticipation.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground and use your toes to grab and curl the towel toward you, scrunching it up several times before switching sides.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 26 Dec. 2025
To re-create the style, Abramite recommends adding mousse to damp hair and blow-drying with a diffuser while scrunching for volume at the roots and expansion throughout.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 9 Oct. 2025
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
But on a multi-night getaway, scrunching a sweatshirt behind your head gets old fast.
—Emily Pennington, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrunching
Verb
-
Moses Moody scored 23 points before crumpling to the floor with an apparently serious left knee injury late in overtime as the Golden State Warriors beat Dallas 137-131 on Monday night, extending the Mavericks' home losing streak to 12 games, their longest in 32 years.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Late on, with the game already won, James Garner and substitute Merlin Rohl chased Enzo Fernandez, sending him crumpling to the turf.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The viral moment of the banquet, captured on video and rebroadcast endlessly across Weibo, was Lei Jun walking up to a seated Musk, tapping him on the shoulder, and crouching half-down to take a selfie with him on a Xiaomi 17 Pro.—
Drew Bernstein,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
-
After he was hit in the left temple, Sykes, 39, could be seen crouching down on the stage.—
Ilana Kaplan,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Plus, the tilt-head design provides easy access to the bowl, perfect for making ingredient additions, scraping, and adjustments.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
14 May 2026
-
Using a flexible bench scraper or hard plastic spatula, fold dough over and onto itself several times, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, to bring together into a mass (dough will feel very wet and sticky).—
Claire Saffitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Online, this generally meant that creators encouraged their followers to pair a healthy habit with a fun or existing one (scrolling while walking on the treadmill, for example) or to just link two good behaviors together (folding laundry between breaks of your at-home workout).—
Julia Landwehr,
Health,
18 May 2026
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It is still barely decorated, just a corkboard pinned with photos of the boys and a folding table covered with stacks of reports.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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The chance to work with the former Brighton & Hove Albion manager had been a significant draw for many of the players who had joined the club over the previous 18 months, and his abrupt departure left some scratching their heads.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
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For textured handles or seams where grime tends to hide, an old soft toothbrush can help loosen residue without scratching the surface.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Nothing kills an outfit faster than a rigid denim waistband digging into your sides or linen trousers wrinkling at the first sign of sitting.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2026
-
This helps prevent wrinkling and allows the sheets to be cleaned thoroughly, Sullivan and Wang say.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The director, a graduate of the AFI conservatory, spent two summers growing up gritting his teeth at an all-boys sleepaway sports camp.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Dec. 2025
-
Bob Donnan / Imagn Images North Carolina and head coach Bill Belichick picked up a second straight ACC win on Saturday, gritting to a 20-15 victory over Stanford in Chapel Hill.—
Justin Williams,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrunching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrunching. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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