Synonyms of crunches

crunches 1 of 2

noun

plural of crunch

1

as in shortages

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

• shortages
• lacks
• deficiencies
• deficits
• droughts
• famines
• wants
• absences
• pinches
• inadequacies
• scarcities
• insufficiencies
• failures
• lacunae
• poverties
• undersupplies
• dearths
• paucities
• omissions
• needs
• necessities
• privations

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• amplitudes
• sufficiencies
• adequacies
• abundances
• wealths
• plenties
• surpluses
• excesses
• plenitudes
• oversupplies
• opulences
• surfeits
• overabundances

2

as in crises

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

• crises
• crossroads
• heads
• emergencies
• extremities
• situations
• boiling points
• flash points
• crunch times
• clutches
• exigencies
• breaking points
• possibilities
• conjunctures
• zero hours
• points of no return
• junctures
• Dunkirks
• moments of truth
• milestones
• predicaments
• tinderboxes
• climaxes
• contingencies
• turning points
• conditions
• scrapes
• pinches
• corners
• jams
• passes
• fixes
• landmarks
• straits
• happenings
• spots
• impasses
• stalemates
• deadlocks
• holes
• last minutes
• hot waters
• last ditches
• eleventh hours

crunches

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of crunch

as in scrapes

to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound

I could hear the bicycle gears crunch as I shifted the derailleur

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scrapes
• grits
• scratches
• grinds
• groans
• creaks
• scrunches
• moans
• gnashes
• whines
• grates
• clashes
• collides
• jars
• rasps
• jangles

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of crunches

Noun

Ilya Lyubushkin, Dallas Stars For the second offseason in a row, the Stars are navigating around one of the most complex cap crunches in the league. — Harman Dayal, New York Times, 20 June 2026

Many Asian countries, especially in South and Southeast Asia, that rely on Middle Eastern energy and fertilizer supplies, have faced fuel crunches and higher prices for household goods and food in the past three months. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 19 June 2026

However, crunches are not a comprehensive measure of core strength and may increase injury risk for some people. — Christa Sgobba, Health, 11 June 2026

That’s continuing ongoing supply crunches of helium, fertilizer, natural gas and oil, the effects of which are still winding their way through the global economy and the worst may not be felt for weeks, even if traffic were to reopen today. — Alex Knapp, Forbes.com, 5 June 2026

The whistleblower claims that the museum improperly moved funds between various accounts in order to meet severe cash crunches. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 29 Apr. 2026

In between glistening, shirtless crunches and sexy dalliances, Crown’s motives become clearer. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026

Small Dining and Kitchen Solutions Kitchens and dining areas are where space crunches hit hardest. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 14 Apr. 2026

And if investing in equipment isn’t an option, bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, lunges, crunches and planks engage multiple muscle groups and can be adapted for any fitness level. — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026

Verb

Each month, Edward Flores crunches the numbers. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026

Energage administers an employee survey that covers 26 factors and then crunches the feedback data and scores companies based on the responses. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), the nonpartisan budget watchdog that regularly crunches numbers on policy impacts on the $38 trillion national debt, included $50 billion as one estimate in a series of projections published in early November. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2025

Each year, Google crunches the numbers to identify the items that were highly searched, newly searched, or trending for a period of time from May to September. — Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025

Nguyen Nik Bonitto shoves the Jets' left tackle back into Justin Fields and Zach Allen crunches him from the interior on that third-down floater. — Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025

The website then crunches the numbers to see if your toilet paper stash will be enough to last the full length of the specified quarantine. — Michael Dobuski, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2020