as in scraping
to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound
I could hear the bicycle gears crunch as I shifted the derailleur
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of crunching
But in 2025, every team’s got a game-management department or person, with someone in the booth crunching win-probability models in real time.
—
Dianna Russini, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Propelled by one of guitarist Wes Borland’s hypnotic riffs, crunching beats, old-school record scratches and the group’s signature shouty choruses, the whole thing comes crashing to a close with a pummeling final chorus that finally nods to the country star in the title.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2025
This emotional intelligence becomes exponentially more valuable as AI handles routine data crunching.
—Jennifer Kamara, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Likewise, the video of this poor young woman is telling us a story about this country that no data or number-crunching could.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
The most demanding users would probably like a more potent machine, like some of the larger options here, but the Blade 14 can largely serve as your mobile media-crunching PC when needed, and normal productivity tasks are mere snacks for it.
—Matthew Buzzi, PC Magazine, 7 Sep. 2025
With Tanigaki’s signature mix of bone-crunching choreography and unrelenting pace, the film is a visceral showcase of martial arts cinema at its most uncompromising, the kind that genre fans – and buyers – will want to track closely.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
Recruiting is a numbers-crunching, sobering dose of reality in this sport, which has never been for the meek or weak.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Now that post-tariff-hike shipments are flowing through America’s ports of entry, companies are crunching the numbers to balance higher costs, consumer demand and inventory levels with the goal of shielding shoppers from tariff impacts.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
Dianna Russini, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Propelled by one of guitarist Wes Borland’s hypnotic riffs, crunching beats, old-school record scratches and the group’s signature shouty choruses, the whole thing comes crashing to a close with a pummeling final chorus that finally nods to the country star in the title.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2025
This emotional intelligence becomes exponentially more valuable as AI handles routine data crunching.
—Jennifer Kamara, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Likewise, the video of this poor young woman is telling us a story about this country that no data or number-crunching could.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
The most demanding users would probably like a more potent machine, like some of the larger options here, but the Blade 14 can largely serve as your mobile media-crunching PC when needed, and normal productivity tasks are mere snacks for it.
—Matthew Buzzi, PC Magazine, 7 Sep. 2025
With Tanigaki’s signature mix of bone-crunching choreography and unrelenting pace, the film is a visceral showcase of martial arts cinema at its most uncompromising, the kind that genre fans – and buyers – will want to track closely.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
Recruiting is a numbers-crunching, sobering dose of reality in this sport, which has never been for the meek or weak.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Now that post-tariff-hike shipments are flowing through America’s ports of entry, companies are crunching the numbers to balance higher costs, consumer demand and inventory levels with the goal of shielding shoppers from tariff impacts.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunching
Verb
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To add details, etch swooping lines around the holes by scraping away the pumpkin's outer skin to create contrast.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Sep. 2025
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Two games into 2025, the league’s lowest-scoring team from last year is still scraping the bottom.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The fourth quarter of Sunday’s early-window games featured one head-scratching special teams play and a game in which two teams traded consecutive return scores in a span of 12 seconds.—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
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Both are resistant to cracking and scratching, but Apple says the second-generation material is three times more resistant to scratching.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crunching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunching. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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