crinch

C3R1I1N1C3H4
US, UK/kɹɪnt͡ʃ/

verb

To grind the teeth, crunch

OriginMiddle English crenchen →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

crinch1

verbcrinch (third-person singular simple present crinches, present participle crinching, simple past and past participle crinched)

present singular third person crinches · participle present crinching · participle past crinched · past crinched · alternative Scotland crinsh

  1. To grind the teeth, crunch
nouncrinch (plural crinches)

plural crinches · alternative Scotland crinsh

  1. A small bit, morsel

crinch2

verbcrinch (third-person singular simple present crinches, present participle crinching, simple past and past participle crinched)

present singular third person crinches · participle present crinching · participle past crinched · past crinched

  1. alternativedialectalAlternative form of cringe.

Origin

crinch · verb, noun

Alteration of crunch.

Full word history & related roots →

crinch · verb

  1. Middle Englishcrenchen
  2. Englishcrinch

From Middle English crenchen, a variant of crengen (“to bend haughtily, condescend”). More at cringe.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

crinch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crinch

MLA

“crinch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crinch. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crinch,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crinch.

Source: crinch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.