1
as in crumpled
to create (as by crushing) an irregular mass of creases in
scrunched up the shirt and tossed it in the laundry
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2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrunched
Late in the third quarter, Buzelis turned away from the basket and scrunched up his face in a grimace of disgust.
—
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026
Fatigue is just part of the deal this season with the schedule scrunched up because of the Olympics.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
The beauty of a great lightweight puffer is that it can be worn as an insert or an overcoat, and it can even be tightly scrunched up into a tiny ball to use as a makeshift travel pillow on the plane.
—Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
Unlike a typical golden, her dog sports an underbite and scrunched nose, giving her a uniquely charming expression.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
The cast scrunched out easily, leaving curls soft and natural-looking.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 30 Sep. 2025
Kavya tugs on my arm, her nose is scrunched up, eyebrows discombobulated.
—Navdeep Singh Dhillon, Parents, 21 Aug. 2025
An image of his little face, scrunched in discomfort, but no sound coming from his little mouth, was instantly clear.
—Zoë Jones, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2025
GloRilla tapped into a too-cool-for-school uniform aesthetic at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, styling plaid with black peep-toe platform shoes and scrunched white socks.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026
Fatigue is just part of the deal this season with the schedule scrunched up because of the Olympics.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
The beauty of a great lightweight puffer is that it can be worn as an insert or an overcoat, and it can even be tightly scrunched up into a tiny ball to use as a makeshift travel pillow on the plane.
—Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
Unlike a typical golden, her dog sports an underbite and scrunched nose, giving her a uniquely charming expression.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
The cast scrunched out easily, leaving curls soft and natural-looking.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 30 Sep. 2025
Kavya tugs on my arm, her nose is scrunched up, eyebrows discombobulated.
—Navdeep Singh Dhillon, Parents, 21 Aug. 2025
An image of his little face, scrunched in discomfort, but no sound coming from his little mouth, was instantly clear.
—Zoë Jones, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2025
GloRilla tapped into a too-cool-for-school uniform aesthetic at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, styling plaid with black peep-toe platform shoes and scrunched white socks.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrunched
Verb
-
The polar bear crumpled three steps from Junior’s feet.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Ball collided hard with Lee and both crumpled quickly to the floor, quieting the arena while many looked on anxiously.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The cameraman darted and crouched, arguably working harder than anyone else in the building to capture those breathless, in-your-face angles.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Around the grave of one young man, his mother and grandmother quietly sob, his friends crouched down by the small mat of flower stems.—
Frederik Pleitgen,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bernardo Silva scraped in an equaliser from close range.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Once exposed, that data can be copied, scraped and shared forever.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Parchment may need to be cut or folded to get the right shape, while a lid is designed to fit its container perfectly.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2026
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Consumer advocates estimate that residential electricity costs are up close to 30% for many households since 2021 once rate hikes, fees, and fuel adjustments are folded in.—
Ashley Lutz,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At the end of last week, after another long day of talks in Abu Dhabi, Ukraine’s envoys huddled around a phone for a call with their boss, who was waiting in Kyiv to hear their report.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
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By halftime, Gabby was huddled against her fiancé, barely watching the match.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Westlake graduate missed just one game earlier this season but gritted his way through an undisclosed injury.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Nov. 2025
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The Carolina Panthers gritted out a 13-6 win over the New York Jets on the road thanks to a two-interception day from Jaycee Horn, a turnover-free performance from the offense and a close-to-flawless day on special teams.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Minutes stretched into hours as Evelyn focused on ensuring her wedding ring didn't slip off her fingers, now waterlogged and wrinkled.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
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Mushy, wrinkled, moldy, or acidic-smelling grapes should only be food for your compost.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Pavel Mintyukov, defenseman, B Olen Zellweger, defenseman, B Mintyukov was scratched for a stint and Zellweger has seen his power-play usage halved year-over-year.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
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Over time, plastic containers can become scratched, stained, or damaged, and that starts to pose a food safety risk, explains Dragomir Markovic, food scientist and founder of Wise Intake.—
Taylor Tobin,
Southern Living,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrunched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrunched. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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