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
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Recent Examples of crunch
Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
Edinger said in an interview that the earlier cuts were in response to the state’s ongoing budget crunch.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 27 May 2026
Hugh Hart, IndieWire, 23 May 2026
As the players compete, their advisors, CPAs, and other professionals are crunching the numbers.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Noun
Freshness Guaranteed Chocolate Chip Bakery Cookies from Walmart Unlike the first cookie in the taste test, this cookie was said to have a nice crunch.
—Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
Edinger said in an interview that the earlier cuts were in response to the state’s ongoing budget crunch.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 27 May 2026
Verb
Game night flies by in a montage — the crutch of comedies that can’t sustain conversations and jokes at the same time (or, to be fair, feel crunched for time).
—Hugh Hart, IndieWire, 23 May 2026
As the players compete, their advisors, CPAs, and other professionals are crunching the numbers.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch
Noun
-
Despite more than $100 million in federal investment, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority continues to struggle with aging generators, equipment shortages and years of deferred maintenance.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
In a time of a workforce shortage, Mainstay is not replacing people with tech.—
Megan Shinn,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Energy security in focus The war’s disruption to the Strait of Hormuz has sharpened focus on energy security around the world and comes on the heels of the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
The small Nordic country had applied to join the EU in 2009 in the wake of the global financial crisis, before suspending membership talks four years later.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Govel even gritted through a nasty stinger on a comebacker in the bottom of the fourth.—
Jack Vita,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
Govel even gritted through a nasty stinger on a comebacker in the bottom of the fourth inning.—
Jack Vita,
Oc Register,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
But despite this, experts say the lack of AI play is not the main reason why global investors are exiting India.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
-
This area is the best of the best—in part because of the wildlife sightings but also because of the lack of vehicles (the land is exclusively crossed by guests of Singita Lebombo and Singita Sweni).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Cleveland has since turned to Mike Rutenberg to lead the defense as Monken begins his tenure as head coach.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
-
Beef cheeks and tongues, Frenched racks of lamb, glistening hams, poulet de Bresse, and rabbits still with their heads, round eyes blinkless under long lashes frozen in the ice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Proxy services are often used for illicit or unethical purposes such as performing DDoS attacks, running botnet command-and-control servers, operating phishing operations, and scraping website content.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
-
During that time, crews will scrape up old lines and paint new ones, ITD spokesperson Jill Youmans told the Idaho Statesman on Friday.—
Rose Evans
May 29,
Idaho Statesman,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Johnson, the second batter of the frame, hit a long fly ball to right field that kept carrying and scratched the wall as Jarrod Hocking attempted to rob it.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
-
Each spatula has a grippy handle and is made of flexible silicone that resists high cooking temperatures and won’t scratch bowls or bakeware.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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