big crunch

noun, often capitalized B&C

Definition of big crunch

: a hypothetical cosmological event in which all matter in the universe collapses to a singularity and which is posited to be a possible fate of the universe if the density of matter in it is sufficiently high — compare big bang, big rip

Examples of big crunch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The biggest crunch point is expected to be the English Channel crossing between Dover and the French town of Calais. — Charles Riley, CNN, "Britain finally admits that Brexit means the death of frictionless trade with Europe," 11 Feb. 2020 Some are wondering if a similar scenario could play out again, with the big crunch point coming after the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2021. — Karla Adam, Washington Post, "Scotland leader Nicola Sturgeon lays out her case for a fresh independence vote," 19 Dec. 2019 To be sure, Next doesn’t rely heavily on the Port of Dover, widely expected to face the biggest crunch if the U.K. crashes out of the European Union without a deal. — Washington Post, "The British Company That Doesn’t Fear a Hard Brexit," 20 Sep. 2019 In theory, such a nonstandard form of dark energy could also profoundly diminish or even reverse its effects in the future, leaving open the possibility that the universe could still experience a big crunch. — Lee Billings, Scientific American, "Cosmic Conflict: Diverging Data on Universe’s Expansion Polarizes Scientists," 16 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'big crunch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Big crunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20crunch. Accessed 12 Jul. 2020.

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