bunch

1 of 2

noun

ˈbənch 

1

: protuberance, swelling

2

a

: a number of things of the same kind

a bunch of grapes

b

: group sense 2a

a bunch of friends

c

: a considerable amount : lot

a bunch of money

bunchily

ˈbən-chə-lē 

adverb

bunchy

ˈbən-chē 

adjective

bunch

2 of 2

verb

bunched; bunching; bunches

intransitive verb

1

: swell, protrude

2

: to form a group or cluster

—often used with up

transitive verb

: to form into a bunch

Synonyms

Noun

• body
• circle
• clan
• clique
• community
• coterie
• coven
• crowd
• fold
• galère
• gang
• klatch
• klatsch
• lot
• network
• pack
• ring
• set

Verb

• bag
• balloon
• beetle
• belly
• billow
• bulge
• jut
• overhang
• poke
• pooch [chiefly dialect]
• pouch
• pout
• project
• protrude
• stand out
• start
• stick out
• swell

Examples of bunch in a Sentence

Noun

He always had a bunch of keys on his belt.

Dried herbs hung in bunches from the kitchen rafters.

Verb

The child's tights bunched at the ankles.

the dress bunches a bit at the waist

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Secure Folder has triggered a bunch of warnings given some issues in how it was deployed, those have been addressed. —Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

The handful of Falcon 9s and Atlas Vs that Amazon has on contract are the only rockets in the bunch with a proven track record. —ArsTechnica, 27 June 2025

Verb

Saturday felt like the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby — 20 horses bunched together needing a little luck. —Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 18 May 2025

However, the spacing on the play was poor, with three receivers bunched too closely. —Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 2 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bunche

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing bunch

• thanks a bunch/lot/million
• the pick of the bunch

Rhymes for bunch

• brunch
• chinch
• crunch
• hunch
• lunch
• punch
• keypunch

Kids Definition

bunch

1 of 2 noun

ˈbənch 

1

: a number of things of the same kind

a bunch of grapes

2

: group entry 1 sense 1, collection

a bunch of friends

3

: a large amount : lot

a bunch of money

bunchy

ˈbən-chē 

adjective

bunch

2 of 2 verb

: to gather in a bunch