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
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
26 June 2026
No enrichment needed Driven by the massive electricity demands of expanding data center hubs, the current energy crunch requires a continuous, reliable power supply that weather-dependent renewables like wind and solar simply cannot guarantee.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
25 June 2026
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 June 2026
At sea, celestial navigation, which came into its own in the late 1700s, requires algorithms to crunch the inputs from a sextant that allows mariners to determine their position on the surface of a sphere.
—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Noun
Salting and draining the tomatoes prevents a watery filling, while the saltine crust adds a buttery, savory crunch that stays crisp under the juicy tomatoes.
—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
26 June 2026
No enrichment needed Driven by the massive electricity demands of expanding data center hubs, the current energy crunch requires a continuous, reliable power supply that weather-dependent renewables like wind and solar simply cannot guarantee.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
25 June 2026
Verb
But analysts at Deutsche Bank drew a much more bullish conclusion while crunching the numbers in a different way.
—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 June 2026
At sea, celestial navigation, which came into its own in the late 1700s, requires algorithms to crunch the inputs from a sextant that allows mariners to determine their position on the surface of a sphere.
—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch
Noun
-
The Crimean peninsula has had periodic fuel shortages from Ukrainian strikes before, but the current crisis is the worst since its 2014 annexation.
-
Novelli said one of the reasons many kids in New Haven are still behind in reading is a shortage of pre-kindergarten education.
Noun
-
That helped resolve Europe’s emerging jet fuel crisis and Australia’s diesel shortage.
-
The revelation about the IRS seizure comes at a time of heightened scrutiny over taxpayer funds used to fight the homelessness crisis.
Verb
-
Showed toughness by gritting through ankle and knee injuries in the Final Four and title game.
-
Then the coach known as the most impulsive man on an NFL sideline runs that stop sign, grits his teeth and breaks unbound into character.
Noun
-
These areas often have awkward entrances and lack ventilation, which allows heat to build quickly.
-
Nearly half acknowledged mental health issues, and 34% felt their lack of personal relationships was a factor that contributed to feeling purposeless.
Noun
-
The Scorpio moon fills your head with future plans for creative expansion.
-
Wilson joins a Bulls team that has signaled a full rebuild this summer, installing a new head coach and front office before the draft.
Verb
-
But this adjustable Oxo measuring cup will save you time that would otherwise be spent scraping every last bit of peanut butter from the measuring cup.
-
Colombia needed a 76th-minute goal from Crystal Palace standout Daniel Muñoz to scrape past the DRC, but that goal pushed the team into first place in the group.
Verb
-
And these only scratch the surface of his accomplishments.
-
Even young raccoons can bite or scratch when frightened, and wild animals can carry parasites and diseases, says Rakestraw.
Cite this Entry
“Crunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
