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
as in to chew
to crush or grind with the teeth
people who crunch on hard candies during movies really annoy me
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 9 May 2025
An influx of new homes has eased some of the supply crunch, but construction of new homes remains well short of demand, Lautz said.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 8 May 2025
Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 29 Apr. 2025
ZipRecruiter crunched the numbers on the top fields, and the most common job title in that field, where soon-to-be grads are most likely to earn $100,000 or more right after graduation, based on job postings and their typical salary ranges for 2025 so far.
—Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Noun
The best part is that the blackening seasoning adds a little texture and crunch as well as flavor.
—Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 9 May 2025
An influx of new homes has eased some of the supply crunch, but construction of new homes remains well short of demand, Lautz said.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 8 May 2025
Verb
Each of the bills' sponsors agreed to kill their proposals in initial committee votes in recent days, amid uncertain support and a crunching end-of-session calendar.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 29 Apr. 2025
ZipRecruiter crunched the numbers on the top fields, and the most common job title in that field, where soon-to-be grads are most likely to earn $100,000 or more right after graduation, based on job postings and their typical salary ranges for 2025 so far.
—Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch
Noun
-
For years, Democrats have tried to carve out loopholes in existing laws and promote new developments to address the housing shortage.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2025
-
While that was a 2% rise since 2019, the U.S. faces a shortage of 439,000 construction workers.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
President Donald Trump has highlighted fentanyl overdoses as a public health crisis and national emergency, and repeatedly criticized both Canada and Mexico for not doing enough to stop cross-border drug sales to American consumers.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
-
Zuckerberg accurately diagnoses our crisis of isolation.—
Kim Samuel,
Time,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
But the lack of GLP-1 receptors in the liver suggests that the drug doesn’t work directly on the organ but instead has an indirect effect by lowering weight and blood sugar levels, said Abdelmalek.—
Cathy Nelson,
Health,
13 May 2025
-
However, after the North Carolina Supreme Court overturned their case in 2021 due to a lack of a fair trial, Molly and Thomas pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and received lesser sentences.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
There's always one shot that leaves a golfer shaking his or her head.—
Mike Hutton,
Post-Tribune,
19 July 2017
-
Now, Maineri heads into year 12 with 18 pitchers on his roster, hoping that rising junior Caleb Gilbert and sophomore-to-be Zach Hess will emerge at the top of the pitching rotation.—
John Roach,
NOLA.com,
19 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Crunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share