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
Eden Stuart, Glamour, 5 Mar. 2026
Such a designation would trigger additional actions to help ease the supply crunch, including allowing certain compounding pharmacies to make more of it.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
Lily Wohlner, Allure, 22 Feb. 2026
When the numbers were crunched, Bogotá, Colombia, took the crown as the most authentic city in the world.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Noun
For definition without crunch, a curling cream is gold.
—Eden Stuart, Glamour, 5 Mar. 2026
Such a designation would trigger additional actions to help ease the supply crunch, including allowing certain compounding pharmacies to make more of it.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
Designed as a buildable mist, this flexible, brushable spray keeps your style in place without adding stiffness or causing flaking and crunching.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 22 Feb. 2026
When the numbers were crunched, Bogotá, Colombia, took the crown as the most authentic city in the world.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch
Noun
-
Progress in robotics Agility’s humanoid robot, Digit, has already entered the market, demonstrating its readiness to tackle the labor shortage in factories and warehouses.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Fuel prices in Asia have surged in recent days as processors reduce activity rates due to a shortage of crude, while state-of-the-art refineries in the Middle East cut production as storage runs out.—
Nicholas Lua,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce released a comprehensive binational report Wednesday outlining a five-pillar strategy to address the Tijuana River contamination crisis, a problem that has plagued South San Diego County communities for decades.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
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The conflict, which has raged on despite a truce brokered by the United States and Qatar, has sparked a huge humanitarian crisis, with at least 7 million people displaced.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But the Olympic debutant gritted her teeth and tried to forget about her throbbing, bruised knee.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
-
But the rain calmed concerns that the state was heading into a severe dry spell, washed the soot and grit out of the air, and boosted conditions at Lake Tahoe area ski resorts.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Its only post office is in danger of closing due to lack of funding, and fliers are posted up on lamp posts asking for financial support from the community.—
Xuan Juliana Wang,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Lakewood police were heavily criticized for their handling of the investigation into Gratton’s death, including for using her deadname and for an overall lack of transparency about the investigation.—
The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Three glide bombs struck the center of the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, killing four people, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Vadym Filashkin, said Tuesday.—
HANNA ARHIROVA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The e-commerce giant sued Perplexity late last year, alleging the startup was concealing its AI agents that were scraping Amazon’s site.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
-
MAKfam, a Chinese restaurant with a Michelin nod for its value, faced a tough first-round opponent, The Empress Seafood, and scraped out a win.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That only scratches the surface of Dolphins possibilities in free agency.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
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Plastic cutting boards should be replaced every one to two years, or sooner if they’re deeply scratched.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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