CRUNCH

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does crunch mean? 

• CRUNCH (noun)
  The noun CRUNCH has 3 senses:

1. the sound of something crunching

2. a critical situation that arises because of a shortage (as a shortage of time or money or resources)

3. the act of crushing

  Familiarity information: CRUNCH used as a noun is uncommon.

• CRUNCH (verb)
  The verb CRUNCH has 4 senses:

1. make a crushing noise

2. press or grind with a crushing noise

3. chew noisily

4. reduce to small pieces or particles by pounding or abrading

  Familiarity information: CRUNCH used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CRUNCH (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The sound of something crunching

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

he heard the crunch of footsteps on the gravel path

Hypernyms ("crunch" is a kind of...):

noise (sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound))

Derivation:

crunch (make a crushing noise)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A critical situation that arises because of a shortage (as a shortage of time or money or resources)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

a financial crunch

Hypernyms ("crunch" is a kind of...):

situation (a complex or critical or unusual difficulty)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The act of crushing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

compaction; crunch; crush

Hypernyms ("crunch" is a kind of...):

compressing; compression (applying pressure)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "crunch"):

grind; mill; pulverisation; pulverization (the act of grinding to a powder or dust)

Derivation:

crunch (reduce to small pieces or particles by pounding or abrading)

• CRUNCH (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they crunch    ... he / she / it crunches   
Past simple: crunched   
Past participle: crunched   
-ing form: crunching   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make a crushing noise

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

crackle; crunch; scranch; scraunch

Context example:

his shoes were crunching on the gravel

Hypernyms (to "crunch" is one way to...):

make noise; noise; resound (emit a noise)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "crunch"):

crump; scrunch; thud (make a noise typical of an engine lacking lubricants)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

crunch (the sound of something crunching)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Press or grind with a crushing noise

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

cranch; craunch; crunch; grind

Hypernyms (to "crunch" is one way to...):

press (exert pressure or force to or upon)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Chew noisily

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

crunch; munch

Context example:

The children crunched the celery sticks

Hypernyms (to "crunch" is one way to...):

chew; jaw; manducate; masticate (chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Reduce to small pieces or particles by pounding or abrading

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

bray; comminute; crunch; grind; mash

Context example:

mash the garlic

Hypernyms (to "crunch" is one way to...):

break up; fragment; fragmentise; fragmentize (break or cause to break into pieces)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "crunch"):

pulp (reduce to pulp)

pestle (grind, mash or pulverize in a mortar)

mill (grind with a mill)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

crunch (the act of crushing)

 Context examples 

He closed his jaws on the bones and crunched.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

A NASA study based on an innovative technique for crunching torrents of satellite data provides the clearest picture yet of changes in Antarctic ice flow into the ocean.

(New Study Brings Antarctic Ice Loss Into Sharper Focus, NASA)

He was but two paces behind when I tumbled into the boat, and as I shoved off with an oar his teeth crunched down upon the blade.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

And, still in the air, the she-wolf's jaws closed on the lean, yellow body, and the weasel knew death between the crunching teeth.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

There was a crunch of breaking bone, and the white dog faced him on three legs.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

I turned, and Miss Ingram darted forwards from her sofa: the others, too, looked up from their several occupations; for at the same time a crunching of wheels and a splashing tramp of horse-hoofs became audible on the wet gravel.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

It was a crunching of heavy feet, punctuated now and again by the clattering of a displaced stone.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

The computer-vision technique crunched data from hundreds of thousands of NASA-U.S. Geological Survey Landsat satellite images to produce a high-precision picture of changes in ice-sheet motion.

(New Study Brings Antarctic Ice Loss Into Sharper Focus, NASA)

There was a crunching of fragile bones, and warm blood ran in his mouth.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Once, his teeth closed on the fore leg of a husky, and he crunched down through the bone.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)