bunch
/bʌn(t)ʃ
/noun
1A number of things, typically of the same kind, growing or fastened together: a bunch of grapes...
- Carried in abundant heavy bunches along its branches, they seem to glisten in early winter sunlight.
- Although the flowers may be small, they last an extremely long time and are found in profuse bunches at the ends of long flower stems.
- As you may have noticed, many of his creations for this collection features a bunch of flowers around the neck.
Synonyms
bouquet, spray, posy, nosegay, corsage;
wreath, garland, chaplet;
buttonhole;
flower arrangement;
French boutonnière
rare tussie-mussie
cluster, clump, knot;
group, assemblage, collection
1.1 informal A group of people.A bunch of people piled into the van, and even more crowded into the flatbed....
- UTV's Hell's Kitchen brought together a bunch of C-list celebrities and turned them into chefs.
- And it's even more fun to get a bunch of friends together and team up.
Synonyms
group, set, circle, body, company, troupe, collection, assemblage, gathering, throng, knot, cluster, huddle, multitude, bevy, party, band, horde, pack, drove, flock, swarm, stream, mob
informal gang, crowd, load, crew, gaggle
1.2 informal, chiefly North American A large number or quantity; a lot: the bluesy style that earned him a bunch of '70s hits...
- Instead of the rows of desk chairs, there was a pile of bean bags in one corner and a bunch of air mattresses stacked up against the back wall.
- Pile a bunch of the strips on plates, then pour the sauce on top.
- Then slather on a bunch of Dijon, careful to leave the pepper in place.
2 (bunches) British A girl’s hairstyle in which the hair is tied back into two clumps at the back or on either side of the head.Nerdy Girl had her oily hair in ridiculously high bunches on either side of her head....
- Instead she got up and walked away, redoing her hair in their bunches either side of her head.
- Asha created a series of all-over bunches, sprayed white hairpieces a vibrant shade of blue and then added them to the back of the head.
verb [with object]
1Collect or fasten into a compact group: she bunched the needles together...
- The tribesmen were all bunched together in clumps, and they too seemed frenzied with excitement.
- There are more than 1,500 passengers going through the international departure where flights are normally bunched together.
- The three recent incidents cannot be bunched together to conclude that an irreversible rot has set in the police department.
Synonyms
bundle, clump, cluster, group, arrange, gather, collect, assemble;
bind, pack, fasten together, truss
1.1Form or cause to form tight folds: [no object]: the bedclothes had bunched up around his waist...
- Even when fully tucked, the shirt is bunched up - it essentially has to be gathered in in 2 places to be fully tucked.
- It folded very thin, reminding her of the giant shawl from Turkey her aunt had, which could be bunched up and could still be threaded through the center of a wedding ring.
- She's bunched up my sweater in front of her face and is smelling it, the oddest expression on her face.
Synonyms
gather, ruffle, pucker, shirr, tuck, fold, pleat
1.2 [no object] Form into a tight group or crowd: he halted, forcing the rest of the field to bunch up behind him...
- Because the circuit is generally so slow and twisty, groups of cars tend to bunch up into tight packs and you have to guard against wiping off your nose section on somebody else's rear wheel.
- The heat this year won't have helped, not least because this is a hot and very crowded run at the best of times, with no escaping the sun or the other runners, who bunch up around you.
- Why do people feel the need to bunch up at the front?
Synonyms
cluster, huddle, gather, concentrate, congregate, collect, accumulate, amass, group, herd, crowd, flock, mass;
pack somewhere, cram somewhere
1.3 [no object] (Of muscles) flex or bulge.His horse shifted its weight apprehensively, its muscles bunching and smoothing beneath the saddle, causing the leather to creak ever so slightly....
- He sprints away again, muscles bunching under the glossy black coat, working off an energy that she is denied.
- I felt muscles bunch in a surge of anger and took a deep breath.
Phrases
the best (or the pick) of the bunch
bunch of fives
thanks a bunch
Derivatives
bunchy
/ adjective (bunchier, bunchiest) ...- They didn't do much apart from eating daddy long legs and making bunchy webs which hang from the ceiling.
- I usually sidestep this problem by wearing some shorts underneath the skirt, but this isn't an ideal solution - they get too bunchy and bulky.
- Small figures were working in bunchy Altoic league uniforms.
Origin
Late Middle English: of unknown origin.