munch
verb (used with object)
to chew with steady or vigorous working of the jaws, often audibly.
munch
1 American
[muhnch]
/ mʌntʃ /
verb (used with object)
-
munches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
munched,
past participle, past
-
munching
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
munches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
munched,
past participle, past
-
munching
present participle
noun
verb phrase
Munch
2
American
[moongk]
/ mʊŋk /
noun
Münch
3
American
[my nsh]
/ münʃ /
noun
Munch
1
British
/ mʊŋk /
noun
munch
2
British
/ mʌntʃ /
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
munchsimple
-
munchessimple
-
have munchedperfect
-
has munchedperfect
-
am munchingprogressive
-
are munchingprogressive
-
is munchingprogressive
-
have been munchingperfect progressive
-
has been munchingperfect progressive
Past
-
munchedsimple
-
had munchedperfect
-
was munchingprogressive
-
were munchingprogressive
-
had been munchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of munch
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English monchen, variant of mocchen; of imitative origin
Explanation
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."
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.
See Examples For:
Part of the scarab family, the beetle has an apt name: they munch on soft-skinned fruits such as figs and grapes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 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
"It then reappeared at six in the morning to have a wander and its breakfast with a munch on some dog food and bird seed," he said.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
Some visitors at Ueno Zoological Gardens were left teary-eyed as they watched Japan's only two pandas Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao munch on bamboo.
From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026
He thrust the end of his beard into his mouth, stared tragically at the fire, and began to munch it fiercely.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
On the walls, another nod to the idea of thinking: reproductions of works by Edvard Munch, the deeply intellectual painter.
From Barron's ● Apr. 15, 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
It still needs a lot of development, according to Mr Munch Smidt-Jensen.
From BBC ● Jan. 20, 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
Munch my way through those fries pretty quickly, too.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Past investigations would need to be revisited, Münch said.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 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
"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
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 William Archer
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
She’s plopped herself on the forest floor, and she munches bamboo shoot after bamboo shoot.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
“We were actually just here on Saturday,” she said, as the kids munched Steakburgers and sipped milkshakes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
People munched on cheese cubes and cheesecake bites or fanned themselves in the shade, watching on big screen televisions as the old guard said their goodbyes inside the council chambers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 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
Tucked into schoolchildren’s lunches by the millions and munched by lawyers and professional athletes, Uncrustables generated approximately $920 million in sales in the company’s most recent fiscal year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025
The King munched and chomped greedily on the sweet nut, eyeing the packet covetously.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Come prepared for a mix of retro live-action, animated and puppetry snippets while munching on churros or popcorn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
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
And while it's unlikely cyclists are munching the cereal bars and sweets favoured by the curlers when on the ice, many of the same principles are the same.
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026
Kyle could see dinosaurs munching on tall tree branches far off in the rain forest.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
