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
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Recent Examples of crunching
Wandering around the park, dry leaves crunching underfoot, feels like crashing a dress rehearsal, or an extremely chill treeworker renegade.
—
Calin Van Paris, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
This was after enormous pressure from the industry and media who scrutinized the executive and the streamer given their history for crunching the window for titles between their theatrical play and ultimate debut on Netflix.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
The researchers had some disturbing findings after crunching the data.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 10 Mar. 2026
Number crunching As with the Autumn Budget, the Spring Statement is accompanied by the latest economic and fiscal outlook from the OBR, which assesses the government's tax and spending plans.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
Matas Vokietaitis sets a crunching screen on Xaivian Lee, gets his dunk attenpt blocked, and Boogie Fland ties the game with a 3-pointer.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 25 Feb. 2026
Designed as a buildable mist, this flexible, brushable spray keeps your style in place without adding stiffness or causing flaking and crunching.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 22 Feb. 2026
Now sitting 35th in the latest Pairwise rankings that help determine the 16-team NCAA field, one numbers-crunching website recently gave Minnesota just a 2% chance of making a sixth consecutive trip to the national tournament.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 11 Feb. 2026
By crunching data from millions of monthly payroll records for workers in jobs with exposure to generative AI, the authors concluded that workers ages 22 to 25—the canaries—have seen about a 13 percent decline in employment since late 2022.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Calin Van Paris, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
This was after enormous pressure from the industry and media who scrutinized the executive and the streamer given their history for crunching the window for titles between their theatrical play and ultimate debut on Netflix.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
The researchers had some disturbing findings after crunching the data.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 10 Mar. 2026
Number crunching As with the Autumn Budget, the Spring Statement is accompanied by the latest economic and fiscal outlook from the OBR, which assesses the government's tax and spending plans.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
Matas Vokietaitis sets a crunching screen on Xaivian Lee, gets his dunk attenpt blocked, and Boogie Fland ties the game with a 3-pointer.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 25 Feb. 2026
Designed as a buildable mist, this flexible, brushable spray keeps your style in place without adding stiffness or causing flaking and crunching.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 22 Feb. 2026
Now sitting 35th in the latest Pairwise rankings that help determine the 16-team NCAA field, one numbers-crunching website recently gave Minnesota just a 2% chance of making a sixth consecutive trip to the national tournament.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 11 Feb. 2026
By crunching data from millions of monthly payroll records for workers in jobs with exposure to generative AI, the authors concluded that workers ages 22 to 25—the canaries—have seen about a 13 percent decline in employment since late 2022.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunching
Verb
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The Angry Mama Microwave Steam Cleaner is thoughtfully designed to effortlessly remove stubborn messes without scrubbing or scraping for hours on end.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
1 Apr. 2026
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Tore it apart before scraping it and sure enough, tucked into a corner, covered with lint, was an old gold ring.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 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
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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
Verb
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Use gentle solutions like dish soap, baking soda, or vinegar to clean without scratching surfaces or leaving streaks.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
5 Apr. 2026
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The quest to find out why some Braves were celebrating hits by scratching their heads proved more arduous than expected.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crunching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunching. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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