crunch (the) numbers

idiom

: to process numbers : to examine and analyze numbers, especially to determine exactly how much money is available, needed, etc.

When we sat down to crunch the numbers we realized that we couldn't afford a new car.

Examples of crunch (the) numbers in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Scientists who work in labs, and have to run experiments or crunch numbers, can famously work long hours. —Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2024

The good news: What’s important isn’t knowing how to crunch the numbers but asking the right questions and having the right team to deliver answers. —Ryan Wong, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

As a result, many of the earliest computer specialists were women—employees of corporations or wartime government agencies whose job was to crunch numbers by hand and to input data into the earliest electronic computer prototypes. —Anna Shechtman, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2024

Bureau statisticians have been given only half the time originally planned to crunch the numbers, and Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham said last month that agency statisticians had found anomalies in the 2020 data that have popped up in past censuses. —Matthew Daly, The Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2024

Crafty folks that crunch the numbers swear the Chargers could still make the postseason. —Jay Paris, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023

Pick your favorite guideline, such as the 4% rule, and crunch the numbers with the help of an online retirement calculator, or consult a financial advisor. —Tanza Loudenback, wsj.com, 9 Oct. 2023

People got wind of it and started it a week later, a month later — there was some ovulation participation going on and Buckley was starting to crunch the numbers. —Ali Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023

Microsoft’s Copilot service integrates into its ubiquitous Microsoft 365 software suite, using generative AI to more efficiently compose emails, summarize documents or crunch numbers. —Jackie Davalos, Fortune, 31 July 2023