Library / English Dictionary

CRUNCH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of crushing

Synonyms:

compaction; crunch; crush

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The sound of something crunching

Example:

he heard the crunch of footsteps on the gravel path

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

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

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

Derivation:

crunch (make a crushing noise)

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Example:

a financial crunch

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

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

situation (a complex or critical or unusual difficulty)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Reduce to small pieces or particles by pounding or abrading

Example:

mash the garlic

Synonyms:

bray; comminute; crunch; grind; mash

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make a crushing noise

Example:

his shoes were crunching on the gravel

Synonyms:

crackle; crunch; scranch; scraunch

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

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 3

Meaning:

Chew noisily

Example:

The children crunched the celery sticks

Synonyms:

crunch; munch

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

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:

Press or grind with a crushing noise

Synonyms:

cranch; craunch; crunch; grind

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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

press (exert pressure or force to or upon)

Sentence frames:

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

Credits

 Context examples: 

In the cabin I found all hands assembled, sailors as well, and while coffee was being cooked over the small stove we drank whisky and crunched hard-tack.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

It was tender, and his teeth sank into it with a crunch that promised deliciously of food.

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

As his teeth crunched through the tender flesh and fragile bones, he began naturally to eat.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

He threw off his pack and went into the rush-grass on hands and knees, crunching and munching, like some bovine creature.

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

There were four newly hatched chicks, a day old—little specks of pulsating life no more than a mouthful; and he ate them ravenously, thrusting them alive into his mouth and crunching them like egg-shells between his teeth.

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

He was silent for a moment. The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet.

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)

Almost before I had grasped her meaning there was the flutter of a dress and the crunch of leather boots and Tom and Daisy were back at the table.

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)