crunch 1 of 2

noun

Definition of crunchnext
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

crunch

2 of 2

verb

ˈkrənch How to pronounce crunch (audio)
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

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
Noun
While the current economic crunch may pass, MacKaron believes the trend in credit card rewards will persist. — Dan Avery, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026 The government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who faces a national election next year, has pushed forward a package of emergency measures to respond to the housing crunch. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
But the decision to buy or refinance shouldn't be dismissed until borrowers take the time to crunch the numbers. — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 On the next drive, Love was sacked twice in a row, fumbling on the second after being crunched by Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman. — Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for crunch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch
  1. shortage
  2. crisis
  3. grit
  4. lack
  5. head
  6. scrape
  7. scratch
Noun
  • What to do nearby There’s no shortage to do in Vancouver and Azur is right in the heart of it.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The Albanian Manufacturing Association warned this week that nearly 150 garment factories have closed and roughly 25,000 jobs have been lost in recent years amid declining exports, high production costs, labor shortages and the euro’s depreciation.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of shortage
Noun
  • In its examination of Haiti’s deepening crisis, the panel detailed how influential figures in Haitian society continue to support armed gangs.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
  • And then, largely as a byproduct of the scaremongering around the AIDS crisis, there was a sense of things going backwards.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of crisis
Verb
  • Red flag The Dodgers still don’t know what to reasonably expect from Ohtani, gritting out the postseason despite discomfort in his left knee and right arm.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Bugs Bunny jams himself against the edge and grits his teeth in agony.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of grit
Noun
  • Nearly all its arrangements hew to a standard radio-pop format, and in the record’s back half this lack of imagination becomes tiresome.
    — Enzo Escober, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Wednesday’s filing marks the latest escalation in the legal fight over conditions at the facility and the government’s lack of compliance with the court’s directives.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of lack
Noun
  • Rooms While many Los Angeles hotels lean into palm trees and poolside glamour, Moxy heads for the desert.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
  • For Rebeca Aguilar, head of international distribution at Movistar Plus, co-productions offer more than financial backing.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of head
Verb
  • Pamir, which uses machine learning to scrape, parse and categorize vast amounts of unstructured video, image and social media data for its SaaS database, offers another tool.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • To get the tortoise’s DNA material, Jonathan’s veterinarian Joe Hollins pretended to feed him, wedged his mouth open with a hard glove and scraped cells from inside his cheek.
    — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of scrape
Verb
  • The bear even takes time to exfoliate, using what appears to be a concrete barrier to scratch its back.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Atlanta scratched across three runs against a shaky Blake Snell and a parade of Dodgers relievers, while Ray Kerr and Didier Fuentes, among others, held the powerful LA lineup to just two.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of scratch

Phrases Containing crunch

Browse Nearby Words

crumps
crunch
crunched
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of galore

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All