munch

verb

ˈmənch 

munched; munching; munches

transitive verb

: to eat with a chewing action

many a mouthful is munched in private

—Washington Irving

also : to snack on

drank coffee and munched homemade cookies

—Lady Bird Johnson

intransitive verb

: to eat or chew something

also : snack

—usually used with on

muncher noun

Examples of munch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On a hill about 50 yards away, a half dozen of them were happily munching grass. —Johannes Lichtman, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2024

Applying a top dressing of compost in autumn after planting works well. Pests and Problems Besides deer, which are notorious for munching on tulips, squirrels and other rodents can dig up tulip bulbs and stash them for a midwinter snack. —Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Oct. 2024

The researchers concluded that a white shark or shortfin mako shark must have munched on their pregnant porbeagle and ingested the tag temporarily. —Evan Bush, NBC News, 3 Sep. 2024

Parrotfish to the rescue The life of a parrotfish mostly consists of munching on rocks and dead corals, grinding it into sand, and releasing it through their rear ends. —Benji Jones, Vox, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English monchen, probably of imitative origin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

munch

verb

ˈmənch 

: to eat with a chewing action

also : to snack on

munched popcorn and watched a movie

muncher noun

Biographical Definition

Munch 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈmu̇nch  ˈmᵫnch 

Charles 1891–1968 Alsatian-born conductor

Munch

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

ˈmu̇ŋk 

Edvard 1863–1944 Norwegian painter