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
Everyone’s mad at Katie for lying, filming, and talking to every blogger with Fios cable internet and an Instagram profile, but what is at the crux of it?
—
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
This gets at the crux of the ongoing issues of the U.S. housing market: There are a variety of factors that affect housing affordability.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 30 July 2025
That is the crux of what the U.S. Supreme Court will be deciding: not what women's sports will look like going forward, but whether there will be any point to women's sports existing at all.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
Fellow wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, who missed the previous two practices, was back in uniform but mostly did conditioning work and didn’t take part in the crux of practice.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for the crux
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Brian Moylan, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
This gets at the crux of the ongoing issues of the U.S. housing market: There are a variety of factors that affect housing affordability.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 30 July 2025
That is the crux of what the U.S. Supreme Court will be deciding: not what women's sports will look like going forward, but whether there will be any point to women's sports existing at all.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
Fellow wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, who missed the previous two practices, was back in uniform but mostly did conditioning work and didn’t take part in the crux of practice.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 29 July 2025
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 21 Aug. 2025.
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