scrunch

[skruhnch, skroonch]

verb (used with object)

1. to crunch, crush, or crumple.

2. to contract; squeeze together.

   I had to scrunch my shoulders to get through the door.

verb (used without object)

1. to squat or hunker (often followed bydown ).

noun

1. the act or sound of scrunching.

scrunch

/ skrʌntʃ /

verb

1. to crumple, crush, or crunch or to be crumpled, crushed, or crunched

noun

1. the act or sound of scrunching

Word History and Origins

Origin of scrunch¹

First recorded in 1815–25; perhaps expressive variant of crunch

Word History and Origins

Origin of scrunch¹

C19: variant of _crunch

Example Sentences

My face would scrunch up and I’d shudder from the intense flavors, but I never cried.

From Salon

Or a small, scrunched face slumbering in a stroller.

From Los Angeles Times

Manage your draughts by putting a black bag with scrunched up paper up an unused chimney, or try limiting other draughts around the home.

From BBC

“It has a warm feel, not like …” Her face scrunched as if she had stepped on a snail, and she waited a beat before referencing the county’s recent purchase.

From Los Angeles Times

Since the mid-1960s, microscopists have seen that axons can scrunch up to form beads when they are diseased or under other stress.

From Science Magazine