as in crises
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch times
Noun
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For instance, governments faced with large budget deficits—whether due to economic strain, political crises, or war—may resort to creating new money to finance spending.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
14 Apr. 2026 -
While outlooks for young people looked increasingly dire due to economic crises and deep social divisions, the music became openly critical of Orbán’s government.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Creative differences between Levinson and HBO over where to go from this existential crossroads delayed the season even further.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
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Surely, every generation faces this devastating crossroads of actual adulthood.—
Annah Feinberg,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The intense temperature and pressure of the impact heated the moon's crust and mantle so much that many of the volatile elements present (volatiles are elements with low boiling points), including potassium, evaporated and escaped into space.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Thermodynamics drives selective recovery The researchers hypothesized that FJH combined with chlorine gas could exploit differences in Gibbs free energy and boiling points to selectively remove non-REE elements from magnet waste.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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One of the flash points in women’s college basketball history unfolded during the 2021 NCAA tournament, when all teams were quarantined in the same bubble in San Antonio for all rounds during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2026
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But more potential flash points loom.—
JILL LAWLESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The younger two brothers float paper boats in the kitchen sink and Jeremy plays along, sprinkling flour on their heads—but making the kitchen a total mess.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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Ordinary humans like Stephen’s selfish boss are depicted as giant walking eggs, while others are proportioned like bobble heads.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
11 Apr. 2026
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“Crunch times.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch%20times. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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