Meaning & use
munch
Last updated
UK/mʌntʃ/
US/mʌntʃ/
Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitive
To chew food steadily and noisily, often something crisp, in a relaxed way.
Grammar: With an object: munch an apple; alone or with on: munch on popcorn.
Patterns
- munch something
- munch on something
- munch away
The kids sat on the sofa munching popcorn.
A horse was munching on hay in the corner of the field.
He munched happily while watching the match.
Word forms
| third person singular | munches |
|---|---|
| past tense | munched |
| past participle | munched |
| -ing form | munching |
Common combinations
- munch on
- She munched on a carrot stick during the meeting.
- munch away
- The cows munched away in the meadow.
- munch contentedly
- The rabbit munched contentedly on a lettuce leaf.
- munch popcorn
- We munched popcorn all through the film.
- munch a snack
- He munched a snack on the train.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chomp
- Chomp is louder and more energetic than munch, suggesting big bites.
- nibble
- Nibble means taking small bites, while munch suggests steady chewing of larger mouthfuls.
- chew
- Chew is the neutral, general word; munch adds a relaxed, snacking tone.
- crunch
- Crunch highlights the sound of hard food, whereas munch describes the whole act of eating it.
Word family
Commonly confused: munch or mush?
munch vs mush
Mush is soft, pulpy food or something similar; munch is the verb for chewing.
Practice
Which sentence uses munch correctly?
Choose one answer.
Munch means to chew food, usually with on for snacks. The other options use it with things that cannot be eaten.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “munch”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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