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
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
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
-
Kamau fading, then lunging, then crumpling to the pavement at the line.—
Kevin Sintumuang,
Outside,
11 Mar. 2026
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The question is whether the world can take that long of a shock without crumpling beneath the weight of rising inflation and staggering growth.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There’s nothing quite as humbling as crouching next to a random airport outlet.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The 6-foot-3 Blackmon is crouching down to greet Mabel, who stood about 4-foot-7.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The e-commerce giant sued Perplexity late last year, alleging the startup was concealing its AI agents that were scraping Amazon’s site.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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Add the onion to the pot and saute until soft, scraping up any brown bits, 2 to 3 minutes.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of struggling to get your cane from the overhead bin or waiting for a flight attendant to get it from a plane closet for you, consider this folding cane that can fit under the seat in front of you.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Grandparents sat in folding chairs.—
Monti Carlo,
AJC.com,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Use natural cleaners like baking soda and vinegar to safely remove stains and grime without scratching the surface.—
Rae Ford,
Martha Stewart,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Counsell, Hottovy, team president Jed Hoyer and many others in the organization believe that Cabrera was just scratching the surface last season.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The report noted wrinkling on Smith’s hands from water immersion, according to People.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Many shower curtain liners can be washed in the washing machine with baking soda to bust through tough grime and mildew and a towel to keep the liner from wrinkling.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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 16 Mar. 2026.
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