bunch
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
to gather into a cluster; gather together.
-
(of fabric or clothing) to gather into folds (often followed byup ).
noun
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a number of things growing, fastened, or grouped together
a bunch of grapes
a bunch of keys
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a collection; group
a bunch of queries
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informal a group or company
a bunch of boys
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archaic a protuberance
verb
Usage
What is a basic definition of bunch? A bunch is a group of things. Bunch can also specifically mean a group that is connected together. Used informally, a bunch is a group of people. As a verb, bunch means to gather into a group. A bunch is a collection or group of items gathered into one place. If you have a bunch of papers on your desk, for example, you have many papers on your desk.
- Used in a sentence: Angela was happy to see that there were a bunch of presents under the Christmas tree.
- Real-life examples: You might eat from a bunch of grapes and be left with just the stem. A maintenance person usually carries a bunch of keys on a ring.
- Used in a sentence: I bought a small bunch of bananas.
- Used in a sentence: A bunch of kids ran past us to watch the clown perform magic tricks.
- Used in a sentence: I bunched all of the wrapping paper into a ball and threw it in the trash.
Synonym Usage
See bundle.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bunchsimple
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bunchessimple
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have bunchedperfect
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has bunchedperfect
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am bunchingprogressive
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are bunchingprogressive
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is bunchingprogressive
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have been bunchingperfect progressive
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has been bunchingperfect progressive
Past
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bunchedsimple
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had bunchedperfect
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was bunchingprogressive
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were bunchingprogressive
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had been bunchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bunch
1275–1325; Middle English bunche; of uncertain origin
Explanation
A group or cluster of something is a bunch. It could be a bunch of people or a bunch of grapes. If you pick a bunch of bananas, you might end up being followed by a bunch of monkeys. When you use the word bunch, you're generally talking about an approximate number of similar items, like a bunch of flowers or a bunch of cats or a bunch of your friends meeting for dinner. The verb bunch means "gather together," or "form into a bunch," the way you might bunch daisies together in a vase, or your socks might bunch down inside your boots.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Will Bunch for The Philadelphia Inquirer: Why Yale’s term paper on what’s wrong with college gets a ‘D-’
From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026
For the video she drew inspiration from 1970s television shows such as The Brady Bunch and The Cher Show, combining stylised camp performance scenes with more chaotic moments in the restaurant.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
Kiffin, wearing a plaid top that appeared stolen from the Brady Bunch wardrobe closet, softened the tone of his departing statement, now saying he respected Ole Miss’s decision to exclude him from playoff coaching.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025
As of now, though, AI is to the rest of the market what Marcia was to Jan on The Brady Bunch.
From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025
And the person who seemed most intent on framing Bunch was the King of the Osage Hills.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
