Entry Word: emergency

Function: noun

Meaning: a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action <an alert, quick-thinking girl who is good to have around in an emergency>

Synonyms clutch, crisis, crossroad(s), crunch, exigency, head, juncture, zero hour

Related Words contingency, possibility; climax, landmark, milestone, turning point; condition, pass, situation, strait; deadlock, impasse, stalemate; corner, fix, hole, hot water, jam, pinch, predicament, scrape, spot