Synonyms of crunch

crunch 1 of 2

noun

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

• shortage
• lack
• deficiency
• deficit
• scarcity
• drought
• pinch
• famine
• paucity
• absence
• poverty
• drouth
• inadequacy
• dearth
• insufficiency
• failure
• undersupply
• lacuna
• scantiness
• scarceness
• inadequateness
• want
• omission
• necessity
• need
• meagerness
• privation
• poorness
• skimpiness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abundance
• plenty
• amplitude
• wealth
• sufficiency
• adequacy
• opulence
• plenitude
• surplus
• excess
• oversupply
• surfeit
• overabundance
• copiousness
• bountifulness

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

• crisis
• head
• crossroad(s)
• emergency
• situation
• crunch time
• extremity
• clutch
• breaking point
• boiling point
• flash point
• exigency
• point of no return
• juncture
• conjuncture
• moment of truth
• zero hour
• possibility
• Dunkirk
• predicament
• tinderbox
• milestone
• contingency
• climax
• pinch
• turning point
• condition
• corner
• happening
• impasse
• jam
• pass
• deadlock
• landmark
• hot water
• spot
• stalemate
• scrape
• fix
• last ditch
• last minute
• strait
• hole
• eleventh hour

crunch

2 of 2

verb

ˈkrənch 

as in to grit

to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound

I could hear the bicycle gears crunch as I shifted the derailleur

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grit
• scrape
• scratch
• grind
• creak
• groan
• gnash
• grate
• scrunch
• moan
• whine
• clash
• jar
• collide
• rasp
• jangle

Examples of crunch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And as volunteers scramble to find refugees affordable housing amid a nationwide crunch, Airbnb.org has offered housing-support grants. —Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Sep. 2024

Utilizing this setup, users can perform cable-machine-type exercises such as tricep pushdowns, face pulls, tricep extensions, standing rows, plus cable curls and crunches. —Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2024

Verb

Bank of America’s quant team crunched the data; this is the most uncertain Fed meeting since at least 2015. —Kelly Evans, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2024

As a teen, Stewart lived to play soccer, but his pro footballing dream ended when a crunching tackle during a game left him with a busted knee. —Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2024

Phrases Containing crunch

• crunch (on)
• crunch time