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
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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
-
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
-
The oar swung violently in its oarlock, knocking him into the river and crumpling the raft’s aluminum frame.—
Emilee Coblentz,
Outside,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The 6-foot-3 Blackmon is crouching down to greet Mabel, who stood about 4-foot-7.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Borsutzki climbed out of the driver’s seat and sprinted toward the rupture in the road before crouching at the edge, a man pinned deep below crying out for help.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Papa Johns had 170 restaurants in Ohio in 2025, according to the data-scraping website ScrapeHero.—
James Powel,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2026
-
There were bits of physical comedy — the flower, the bowing and scraping around Catherine de Bourgh — that was kind of clowning, really.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
On Monday, a folding chair was positioned outside the front door of Diagne’s former residence.—
Peggy O'Hare,
Austin American Statesman,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The Drive further ties into the Stakeout family by borrowing the Stakeout Spark's style of folding multi-plier chassis.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When not used correctly, aluminum foil can cause problems such as blocking air vents, scratching the enamel of your oven, starting a fire if used in the microwave, or causing uneven cooking of cookies.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
-
There was something about the footprints disappearing in the powder dusting the sidewalks, the heaps of dirty snow that the kids tried to conquer like Everest, and dogs nearly my size scratching their backs on a tiny patch of ice that resonated with me.—
Leslie Hsu Oh,
Outside,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The report noted wrinkling on Smith’s hands from water immersion, according to People.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 2026
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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
-
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 6 Mar. 2026.
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