crunch time

noun

Definition of crunch timenext
as in crisis
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action with only three minutes left in the game, it was definitely crunch time

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 time But Golden State didn't get enough defensive stops in crunch time. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026 Russ could brick a wild bank shot, cough up the ball in crunch time and make fans want to launch their remotes through the TV. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026 With the games now having the kind of stakes that Thursday’s contest lacked, that leaky defense – especially in crunch time toward the end of matches – is the possible Achilles heel for this team. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 26 June 2026 Brunson remains the go-to scorer and respected leader whose unflappability in crunch time, even during his down games, is the ultimate separator. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for crunch time
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch time
  1. crisis
  2. head
  3. breaking point
  4. boiling point
  5. flash point
Noun
  • The ever-rising risk premium demanded by investors for holding those bonds shows that traders are still unconvinced that the French government has a plan to resolve its budget crisis.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • But concrete reef structures powered by artificial intelligence could help to combat the environmental crisis.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of crisis
Noun
  • When he was fatally shot, Kridner and Abernathy said Garza had raised the golf club above his head and swung it toward Kridner.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Betsy Smith, the head of the Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit which operates the park, cheered the passage of the bill.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of head
Noun
  • This time around, traders often cite the booming (and opaque) private credit market and AI datacenter plans funded too much by debt — some of it off balance sheet — as likely breaking points.
    — Sean Conlon, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Keep in mind, there is a breaking point.
    — Shep Hyken, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of breaking point
Noun
  • Growing tensions between tourists and locals hit a boiling point in Spain recently as hundreds of thousands of residents flooded the streets of Barcelona, Madrid and other Spanish cities to protest skyrocketing housing costs.
    — Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Charles’ resentment reached a boiling point in 1884, when his and Adam’s father, Cyrus Trask (Tracy Letts), enlisted Adam in the Army despite Charles being the far superior soldier.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of boiling point
Noun
  • The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has become one of the biggest spenders in US elections and a repeat flash point in this year’s Democratic primaries.
    — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Voting by mail has been a flash point since the 2020 presidential election when Philadelphia and Pennsylvania sat at the center of controversy.
    — Heather LaMarre, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of flash point

Browse Nearby Words

crunch (on)
crunch time
crunch times
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crunch time.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch%20time. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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