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 by down ).

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

On bad nights for the bandleaders and their players, they caught a little sleep on the bus or in the car, scrunched between sweaty orchestra mates.

From Los Angeles Times

His face scrunches like he swallowed a lemon.

From Literature

The imp’s furious face scrunched up as tightly as it could, considering its beard was tucked into its bright blue pants, a color that happened to go nicely with its shockingly goldenrod tunic.

From Literature

"If you scrunch up that sheet of graphene into a ball, you have a disordered mess, which is sort of like the electrode in a supercapacitor."

From Science Daily

“Think about that,” he said, as he scrunched up his face with distaste.

From New York Times