crunch

1 of 2

verb

ˈkrənch 

crunched; crunching; crunches

intransitive verb

1

: to chew or press with a crushing noise

2

: to make one's way with a crushing noise

transitive verb

1

: to chew, press, or grind with a crunching sound

2

: process

especially : to perform mathematical computations on

crunch numbers

crunchable

ˈkrən-chə-bəl 

adjective

crunch

2 of 2

noun

plural crunches

1

a

: an act of crunching

ate the cracker in one crunch

b

: a sound made by crunching

The only sound was the crunch of leaves underfoot.

There was a rather loud crunch as I bit into the battered dumplings.

—Fraser Glen

c

: the quality of being crunchy : the tendency to make a crunching sound when chewed or pressed

… make sure you have protein, a carbohydrate and a vegetable. You have to have crunch, flavour, salty and sweet in one.

—Carla Grossetti

Texture is king in this salad, … with added crunch from toasted walnuts.

—Eleanor Maidment

2

: a tight or critical situation: such as

a

: a severe economic squeeze (as on credit)

b

: shortage

an energy crunch

a time crunch

c

: a critical point in the buildup of pressure between opposing elements : showdown

… the odd loss at Bankwest, combined with winning virtually nothing on the road, is going to come back to haunt them when the season reaches the crunch.

—Scott Pryde

3

: a conditioning exercise performed from a supine position by raising and lowering the upper torso without reaching a sitting position

Synonyms

Verb

• gnash
• grate
• grind
• grit
• scrape
• scrunch

Noun

• dearth
• deficiency
• deficit
• drought
• drouth
• failure
• famine
• inadequacy
• inadequateness
• insufficiency
• lack
• lacuna
• paucity
• pinch
• poverty
• scantiness
• scarceness
• scarcity
• shortage
• undersupply
• want

Examples of crunch in a Sentence

Verb

We could hear the truck's tires crunching along the gravel road.

When she crunched the numbers, she found that the business's profits were actually much lower than the company had said.

Noun

the crunch of someone eating a carrot

We could hear the crunch of the truck's tires on the gravel road.

The crunch came when the computer stopped working.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Lopez has put early emphasis on a deep-dive study of the streaming content marketplace, using available viewership and spending data to crunch the ROI numbers based on the cost of TV series and movies. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024

After crunching the numbers, the team named the Na Pali Coast along the island of Kaui in Hawaii as the No. 1 most unforgettable natural landmark in the United States — and the No. 10 most unforgettable natural landmark in the world. —Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 26 Mar. 2024

According to numbers crunched by Pollstar, Swifties paid an average of $239 per ticket to see her show. —New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024

The fast food chain has crunched some numbers, deciding to offer customers nationwide a free bite on them if the Oscars runtime is longer or shorter than 3 hours and 31 minutes. —Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024

After crunching the numbers, the team found that the most dangerous country to drive in Europe is Romania, where 2022 statistics show 85.81 deaths per million inhabitants. —Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2024

Decades later, their successors are still crunching the data from the observations of half-century-old moonquakes and meteor impacts. —IEEE Spectrum, 14 Mar. 2024

Currently, the semiconductor manufacturer has a sizable lead in the types of graphics chips that excel at crunching large amounts of data used in AI models. —Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024

Who, other than academics, can crunch large datasets? —Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024

Noun

This is an expensive real estate deal and comes at a time when the city, like many other public agencies, is facing a serious budget crunch. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024

The dire situation was prompted by a mix of factors, including unfavorable weather conditions and a supply crunch in the cocoa hubs of the world. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 4 Apr. 2024

Glamour editors like that the formula has sea salt to lend texture, delivering those covetable beachy waves, but also boasts sea kelp, a moisturizing ingredient that helps prevent any crunch. —Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 4 Apr. 2024

Lost in the hubbub surrounding California’s new $20-per-hour minimum wage for fast food workers is how that raise could impact public schools, forcing districts to compete with the likes of McDonald’s and Wendy’s for cafeteria workers amid a state budget crunch. —Adam Beam, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024

Unions have become increasingly popular in the last few years as layoffs have impacted several small and prominent video game companies, with workers pushing back against job cuts, along with claims of low pay and crunch work. —Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Toasted walnuts or pecans give every bite irresistible crunch. 04 of 12 Dill Chicken Everything Bagel Biscuit Hotdish View Recipe Cookbook author Molly Yeh found a way to incorporate trendy everything bagel seasoning blend into a tasty chicken casserole. —Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2024

Trump's financial woes:Can his Truth Social deal save him from a cash crunch? —Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024

Thompson begins by slackening onions in a pan, followed by garlic and yellow yam, tomatoes and red bell pepper, contrasts of yield and crunch. —Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

alteration of craunch

First Known Use

Verb

1706, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing crunch

• big crunch
• the crunch
• crunch time
• crunch (the) numbers
• crunch on

Kids Definition

crunch

1 of 2 verb

ˈkrənch 

1

: to chew, press, or grind with a crushing noise

2

: to move with a crushing sound

crunch

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act or sound of crunching

2

: crisis sense 3

the energy crunch

3

: an exercise done by lying on the back and rising up without reaching a sitting position by bending forward at the waist