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 monkeys with the most frequent soil consumption munch on tourist junk food that is "high in sugar, high in salt, high in dairy, which the macaques can't digest," said Lemoine.
From Barron's ● May 22, 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
According to Barton, when deer munch on native plants, the plants are replaced by invasive grasses that dry out quickly and burn easily.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
The diggers, up to 62-feet high, are miniature factories that can munch their way through the toughest of rocks while laying pipes, cables and cladding as they go.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
Not too far along I found a pleasant resting place where I could sit and munch and contemplate and stare out over the stately brown, slow-moving Father of Waters as my spirit required.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Future exhibitions at London's Tate and Oslo's Munch Museum were in development.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Major names like Edvard Munch are included alongside lesser-known figures such as Emilie Mediz-Pelikan, Léon Spilliaert and Gustav Adolf Mossa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2025
Ms Munch disagrees with the expropriation plans because they include the centre of the village, encompassing the residents' homes and shared businesses including a restaurant, hotel, bakery, butchers and a dairy.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2025
Watching a confused Munch pitch in to help instead of murdering them all is strange at first, then heartwarming as he realizes this sweet, lovely family only wants to make him feel welcome.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2024
The next day, Mr. Munch met Canton outside of his last class of the day, Mr. Davanzo's social studies class.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
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
Holger Münch, the head of the federal criminal police, said Tuesday that “it is not organized crime,” but “what we see here is perpetrators communicating with each other and making arrangements.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2016
Münch, reported by Sven Hedin, "With the German Armies in the West," p.
From Gems (?) of German Thought by Archer, William
She concluded that ZIP7 must be acting somewhere before the proteasome munches up the misfolded protein.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 30, 2024
As she munches on the tea-shop snacks of mooncakes, chestnuts and dried mango, she explains that she wants more than a provincial life.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2024
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
In one adorable moment, he munches on a carrot tied around his neck.
From Salon ● Nov. 17, 2022
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
Nosek wore flannel pajamas around the office, munched on fresh blueberries from their plastic clamshell containers, and built a soundproof, blacked-out box to improve his sleep.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
More than a decade later, my books still lean toward the seasonal standard: light fiction, breezy memoir, topical advice—the literary equivalent of potato chips munched lazily on the beach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
At around 1 p.m., a line extended out the door and into the plaza, where many people sipped on the chain’s famous $21 “strawberry glaze” smoothies and munched on $18 prepackaged Thai tofu salads.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 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
“As gingerly munched her Chinese Chicken Salad, she spoke of love.”
From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
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
On Wednesday morning, Sovereignty was standing upright in his stall munching on hay and showed no obvious discomfort.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025
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
Hardly anybody is out at this hour, so it still feels quiet, with just the sound of our munching on the broken treats.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
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.
