the crux
noun
: the most important part of something (such as a problem, issue, puzzle, etc.)
—usually + of
The crux of the matter is that people are afraid of change.
It's taken a while to get to the crux of the problem, but I think I finally understand it.
Examples of the crux in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Razak believes that this is the crux of Nabeel.
—
Danny Hajjar, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
During Kouri Richins’ weekslong murder trial, her attorneys repeatedly drove home the crux of their defense – that prosecutors could not prove how the drugs that killed her husband entered his body.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 18 Mar. 2026
Copper has historically been a key backbone of networking gear, but today’s modern accelerated data centers are creating a bigger role for fiber-optics technology — the crux of our thesis in Corning.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2026
What will become of this nursery in the wild in the next hundred years, or thousand, is the crux of a scientific and policy dispute.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the crux
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Danny Hajjar, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
During Kouri Richins’ weekslong murder trial, her attorneys repeatedly drove home the crux of their defense – that prosecutors could not prove how the drugs that killed her husband entered his body.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 18 Mar. 2026
Copper has historically been a key backbone of networking gear, but today’s modern accelerated data centers are creating a bigger role for fiber-optics technology — the crux of our thesis in Corning.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2026
What will become of this nursery in the wild in the next hundred years, or thousand, is the crux of a scientific and policy dispute.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the crux
Cite this Entry
“The crux.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20crux. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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