1
as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
a severe energy crunch that resulted in long lines at the gas pumps
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in crisis
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action
a player who's always good in a crunch, like when we need a goal to win the soccer match
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crunch
Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 24 July 2025
Then came the pandemic and a global logistics crunch.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 July 2025
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2025
And while the pro personnel department zeroed in on potential targets, Eager and his team crunched the numbers with various projection models.
—Mike Kaye
july 22, Charlotte Observer, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Noun
Their reported effectiveness in treating obesity and diabetes had led to a supply crunch for semaglutide, with major pharmaceutical giants such as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly scrambling to meet the demand.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 24 July 2025
Then came the pandemic and a global logistics crunch.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 July 2025
Verb
Osbourne initially excelled with dark, doom-and-gloom songs that fused often grim lyrics about angst, alienation and dread with crunching guitar riffs, thumping drum beats and his powerful singing.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2025
And while the pro personnel department zeroed in on potential targets, Eager and his team crunched the numbers with various projection models.
—Mike Kaye
july 22, Charlotte Observer, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch
Noun
-
The idea for Draft One came from staffing shortages that Axon’s police department clients were facing, Isner said.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
12 Aug. 2025
-
Companies are experimenting with deep-sea tech to produce cheaper fresh water From Cape Town to Tehran to Lima to Phoenix, dozens of cities across the globe have experienced water shortages recently.—
Vanessa Bates Ramirez,
Scientific American,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Prioritize essential work and key customers, yet be realistic in terms of the crisis.—
Eyal Shamir,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Due to go into effect on Aug. 7, the new tariff has thrown the trade into crisis mode, especially in light of the other market forces complicating the industry.—
Victoria Gomelsky,
Robb Report,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Consider Alex’s final audition — a now-iconic sequence that collapses grit and glam into a single, pulsating montage.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
10 July 2025
-
Chelsea showed character and grit and were worthy of their victory.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
His lack of preparedness caused a tremendous strain, both physically and emotionally, as well as financially.—
Ronny Maye,
Essence,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Both sides need to recognize that neither rigid approaches nor a complete lack of structure is effective.—
Jalie Cohen,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
There's always one shot that leaves a golfer shaking his or her head.—
Mike Hutton,
Post-Tribune,
19 July 2017
-
Now, Maineri heads into year 12 with 18 pitchers on his roster, hoping that rising junior Caleb Gilbert and sophomore-to-be Zach Hess will emerge at the top of the pitching rotation.—
John Roach,
NOLA.com,
19 July 2017
Verb
-
Additionally, 132 remains also had exhibited cut marks including slicing, scraping, and chopping.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The small, sharp stone fragments used as tools were likely fashioned from larger pebbles in nearby riverbeds, and they were probably used for cutting or scraping, Brumm said.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Others shared clever ways to scratch the itch of shopping without actually spending any money.—
Malaka Gharib,
NPR,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Don't scratch: A healing tattoo may be itchy, but resist the urge to scratch.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share