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
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
Joe Cermele,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
Griffin sat alongside mid-level employees, crunching numbers.
—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 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
Their most striking characteristic is their human-like teeth designed to crunch through crabs and mollusks.
—
Joe Cermele,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
Griffin sat alongside mid-level employees, crunching numbers.
—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch
Noun
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Despite the overwhelming demand for medical services and the shortage of supplies in Venezuela’s public health system, Domingo Luciani Hospital in the capital of Caracas coped with an influx of patients thanks to a flood of donations.
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With the rise in demand by retail users, compute providers are also facing significant shortages, raising their prices, and are rushing to develop more hardware.
Noun
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Andrea Davis, president and CEO of The Resiliency Initiative, has spent 25 years planning emergency response and crisis management for organizations including Disney, Walmart, the FIFA World Cup and Times Square's New Year's Eve celebration.
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Psychological trauma is also emerging as a major secondary crisis.
Verb
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Showed toughness by gritting through ankle and knee injuries in the Final Four and title game.
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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
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Keli Gonzalez, a painter the museum commissioned, became frustrated by the lack of female representation.
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The lack of a World Cup title is the one gap on his historic résumé.
Noun
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Use the ax head of a garden mattock to cut through the roots at the base of the stump.
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The debate usually comes to a head in the summer, when high inland temperatures send bigger crowds to the beach, sometimes straining the mood of residents who live there.
Verb
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When a user asked boat-botany why New Reddit isn’t scraped as often as Old Reddit, the Reddit employee pointed to a comment by another user.
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Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with ⅓ cup sour cream in 2 additions (about 2½ tablespoons each), scraping down bowl as needed.
Verb
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In April, when Rojas got news that his father had been rushed to the hospital, Roberts quickly took the decision on whether to play out of Rojas’ hands, scratching him from the lineup.
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New York scratched across two more runs in the 10th, taking advantage of another throwing error by Abreu after Rosario's sinking liner squirted out of his glove for an RBI single.
Cite this Entry
“Crunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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