/ skrʌntʃ; NAmE / verb
1.
[ v ] to make a loud sound like the one that is made when you walk on gravel (= small stones)
SYN crunch :
The snow scrunched underfoot.
2.
[ vn ] scrunch sth (up) to squeeze sth into a small round shape in your hands :
He scrunched up the note and threw it on the fire.
3.
[ vn ] scrunch sth (up) to make sth become smaller :
The hedgehog scrunched itself up into a ball.
4.
[ vn ] to create a hairstyle with loose curls by squeezing the hair with the hands
► scrunch noun [ sing. ]:
the scrunch of tyres on the gravel
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WORD ORIGIN
late 18th cent. (in the sense eat or bite noisily ): probably imitative; compare with crunch .