Scrunch
/skrʌntʃ/noun
To crush, compress, or squeeze something into a smaller, wrinkled, or bent form.
Did you know?Scrunch is an expressive word of uncertain origin, but it likely arose in English as a sound-symbolic creation meant to imitate squeezing, crunching, and crushing actions rather than being inherited from a classical root.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
English
scrunch
“To crush, squeeze, or make something bunch up with a rough, compressed motion.”
19th Century
English
scrunch
“An expressive, imitative formation in English, probably shaped by the sound and feel of pressure and crushing.”
Modern English
English
scrunch
“To compress, crush, or bunch together; also to move with a crushing sound.”
Modern English
English
scrunch
“Used figuratively for tight, cramped, or wrinkled states and motions.”