crunch

[kruhnch]

verb (used with object)

1. to crush with the teeth; chew with a crushing noise.

2. to crush or grind noisily.

3. to tighten or squeeze financially.

   The administration's policy seems to crunch the economy in order to combat inflation.

verb (used without object)

1. to chew with a crushing sound.

2. to produce, or proceed with, a crushing noise.

noun

1. an act or sound of crunching.

2. a shortage or reduction of something needed or wanted.

   the energy crunch.

3. distress or depressed conditions due to such a shortage or reduction.

   a budget crunch.

4. a critical or dangerous situation.

   When the crunch comes, just do your best.

crunch

/ krʌntʃ /

verb

1. to bite or chew (crisp foods) with a crushing or crackling sound

2. to make or cause to make a crisp or brittle sound

   the snow crunched beneath his feet

noun

1. the sound or act of crunching

2. short for abdominal crunch

3. informal,  the critical moment or situation

adjective

1. informal,  critical; decisive

   crunch time

Other Word Forms

• crunchy adjective
• crunchable adjective
• crunchily adverb
• crunchiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of crunch¹

1795–1805; blend of craunch and crush

Word History and Origins

Origin of crunch¹

C19: changed (through influence of _munch ) from earlier craunch, of imitative origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. crunch numbers,

   1. to perform a great many numerical calculations or extensive manipulations of numerical data.

   2. to process a large amount of data.

Example Sentences

The crunch, the sweet, the tang, the salt.

From Salon

Manchester City head into Sunday's crunch derby trailing rivals Manchester United by a point at the start of an important week for Pep Guardiola's men.

From BBC

"What began in some online systems is now rippling through the supply chain, threatening a cashflow crunch that could turn a short-term shock into long-term harm", he says.

From BBC

I’m a 5-foot-10 English major who, despite thousands of salads and ab crunches, has yet to lose the stubborn lower belly fat that prevents me from having fun at pool parties.

From Los Angeles Times

One solution authorities have recently turned to for the cash crunch is e-payments.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crisis 
• difficulty 
• trouble