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 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 Knicks star veteran guard Jalen Brunson often prevailed in crunch time, while Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox often missed key shots and made costly mistakes. — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026 In their four postseasons with Brunson, the Knicks are 18-10 in games that have gone to crunch time. — Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 3 June 2026 When the Indiana Fever fell to the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday night, Clark had two awful turnovers in crunch time, and led her team in that category with five, while simultaneously leading the team in scoring. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 May 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
  • Bass said that the Lineage crisis is an environmental justice issue and highlights the health risks communities of color are disproportionately exposed to.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Singleton’s leadership was tested during the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession, and again during the COVID pandemic.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2026
Definition of crisis
Noun
  • However, the broader research on head impacts does indicate that individuals and sports organizations should be thinking about protecting brain health.
    — Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 12 July 2026
  • Walk me through what was going through your head during your elimination.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 12 July 2026
Definition of head
Noun
  • Keep in mind, there is a breaking point.
    — Shep Hyken, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • Three of the Netherlands’ four goals came from this method, as Gakpo, Dumfries and Summerville stretched the Swedish defence to breaking point and opened up additional space in the middle.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 20 June 2026
Definition of breaking point
Noun
  • The boiling point During what’s supposed to be a weekend of feasting, Gigi is eaten up by guilt.
    — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 9 July 2026
  • Racial tensions were at a boiling point, and the police raid of an after-hours nightclub sparked the flame that led to looting, the destruction of nearly 1,400 buildings, multiple fires and 43 deaths as well as 342 injuries.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Definition of boiling point
Noun
  • For this spiritual succession is not merely a religious event, but a critical flash point amid a struggle for influence over a faith practiced by almost 500 million people worldwide.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 July 2026
  • Shakespeare’s haughty Roman war hero, revered on the battlefield yet reviled by hungry plebeians, becomes the flash point in a young democracy tearing itself apart over power and sacrifice.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 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 15 Jul. 2026.

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