crunch time
noun
: a critical moment or period (as near the end of a game) when decisive action is needed
Synonyms
Examples of crunch time in a Sentence
The team had trained well, but at crunch time they just couldn't perform.
with only three minutes left in the game, it was definitely crunch time
Recent Examples on the Web
Domantas Sabonis made a go-ahead dunk with 22 seconds left, Barnes scored a career-high 39 points with back-to-back baskets in crunch time, and the Kings held off the Warriors 134-133 on Thursday night to split their season series at two games each.
—
Janie McCauley, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2024
In one key moment, the kind that largely had been missing in crunch time in past matchups against the Nuggets, Paul George collected a rebound off a Nikola Jokic miss and James Harden found Kawhi Leonard for a short jumper.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023
Then Green fouled out with 58 seconds remaining of a tie game, leaving the Warriors without their two best players in crunch time.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
Bolstered by analytics, teams are seemingly going for it on fourth downs and trying for two-point conversions more than ever -- and not just in crunch time.
—USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
Tight ends are meal tickets in crunch time A Batman always needs his Robin in a passing league.
—Nate Atkins, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024
The Bills had a chance to tie the AFC divisional playoff in crunch time on Sunday night, but Tyler Bass missed on the 44-yard kick with 1:43 on the clock.
—USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
Thompson survived the emotional toll of being benched in crunch time against the Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets and Clippers this season.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2024
Trump maintains an over 40-point lead in 538's polling average, and strategists say his rivals are entering crunch time.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2023
Janie McCauley, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2024
In one key moment, the kind that largely had been missing in crunch time in past matchups against the Nuggets, Paul George collected a rebound off a Nikola Jokic miss and James Harden found Kawhi Leonard for a short jumper.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023
Then Green fouled out with 58 seconds remaining of a tie game, leaving the Warriors without their two best players in crunch time.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
Bolstered by analytics, teams are seemingly going for it on fourth downs and trying for two-point conversions more than ever -- and not just in crunch time.
—USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
Tight ends are meal tickets in crunch time A Batman always needs his Robin in a passing league.
—Nate Atkins, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024
The Bills had a chance to tie the AFC divisional playoff in crunch time on Sunday night, but Tyler Bass missed on the 44-yard kick with 1:43 on the clock.
—USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
Thompson survived the emotional toll of being benched in crunch time against the Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets and Clippers this season.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2024
Trump maintains an over 40-point lead in 538's polling average, and strategists say his rivals are entering crunch time.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crunch time.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near crunch time
Cite this Entry
“Crunch time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crunch%20time. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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