First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English monchen, variant of mocchen; of imitative origin
To munch is to eat something in a loud and enthusiastic way. If you can't stand listening to your brother munch his toast in the morning, you might decide to take your breakfast to go. When you eat something steadily, especially if it's something crunchy, you munch. You might munch on carrot sticks for a snack and then munch a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. You can also take a munch, or a bite, out of something. Munch is an imitative word, its sound echoing the actual sound of munching, but it may also have a connection to the Old French mangier, "to bite or chew."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The creatures faced a prophetic choice: munch on the grass on the side marked with a Mexican flag, or opt for the greenery on the opposing South African side.
From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026
James Bond creator Ian Fleming has a character munch on a Gentleman’s Relish sandwich in his book “For Your Eyes Only.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
He said around 25 to 30 people take part in the contest to munch 80g of the vegetable in the fastest time.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
Nearby, a desert tortoise had emerged from its burrow to munch on some grass — a rare sight that elicited a whoop of joy from Wilcox.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026
“Hedge-pig,” said the Wart, peering at his victim with blurred, short-sighted eyes, “I am going to munch you up.”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Future exhibitions at London's Tate and Oslo's Munch Museum were in development.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Ten years later, a different version of the painting was stolen in an armed robbery, along with the artist’s “Madonna,” from the Munch Museum across town.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
Munch, a friendly, purple-ish hairball of a creature, was once the anchor of Chuck E. Cheese’s Make Believe Band.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025
It still needs a lot of development, according to Mr Munch Smidt-Jensen.
From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2025
I’ll know it’s you...just like you know Munch.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
Past investigations would need to be revisited, Münch said.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2024
"Increasing the local concentration and isolating viruses from samples are critical to increasing the sensitivity of diagnosing viral infections," says Professor Münch.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2024
The nanofibrils used -- small, needle-like structures -- are based on the EF-C peptide, which was first described in 2013 by Professor Jan Münch from Ulm University and Ulm University Medical Center.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2024
“She focused on issues and not emotions,” said Katharina Münch, a retired teacher.
From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2021
One of the best national tragedies was written by Münch Bellinghausen.
From Handbook of Universal Literature From the Best and Latest Authorities by Botta, Anne C. Lynch
Mr Sunak keeps going on tea, with the bag left in to make it industrial strength, and munches on cake - lemon drizzle the favourite.
From BBC ● May 25, 2024
She concluded that ZIP7 must be acting somewhere before the proteasome munches up the misfolded protein.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 30, 2024
And at one point she grabs an Oreo out of a jar in the kitchen and munches on it while speaking.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2023
She munches on an apple and silently watches videos on her phone, settling in for a commute that will last more than an hour.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 29, 2023
Dawn Celeste munches chips out of a bag, brushes the crumbs off her cushy chest.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Attendees munched on free popcorn and tacos while they waited to hear the new single in batches of 10 at a time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026
During her dream bridal shower, Williams and her friends munched on Asian food before partaking in a lip-synch battle.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 29, 2025
Visitors there on Saturday sipped sparkling wine and cocktails from an open bar, decorated Christmas cookies and munched on pizza and tacos from food trucks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025
Ahead of a concert scheduled for Thursday night at Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, the 47-year-old looked back on the experience as she sipped hot water and munched discs of raw ginger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2025
And although the little man eyed the items suspiciously, he wolfed them down and licked the crumbs of bread and cheese from his fingers, and munched noisily on the apple.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
She reported Golden Tempo, munching on some hay in his stall maybe 50 feet behind her, was doing well, two hours before he took a 70-mile van ride to DeVaux’s base at Keeneland.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026
Whether you’re having cereal for breakfast or pasta for dinner, you’re munching on flower products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Film buffs sit snugly in cars watching a drive-in movie, munching popcorn on a lovely recent fall night.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2025
The spruce bark beetle, or Ips typographus, has been munching its way through the conifer trees of Europe for decades, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2025
“No thanks for him—oh, no—only smackings by great lords! Not even a small munching for helping find a piggy!”
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
