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
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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
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of crunch
Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Sitting around: The other culprit is letting that topping sit around for too long after baking but before serving, as the steam emanating from the casserole will kill that crunch.
—Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2024
Hadas Gold, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024
Someone has to crunch numbers and make difficult choices.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for crunch 
Noun
Despite the never-ending onslaught of customers from hell and the constant financial crunch, the salon is like a sanctuary, a safe space.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Sitting around: The other culprit is letting that topping sit around for too long after baking but before serving, as the steam emanating from the casserole will kill that crunch.
—Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
Most major media outlets around the country rely on a handful of organizations to crunch the numbers and make race calls.
—Hadas Gold, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024
Someone has to crunch numbers and make difficult choices.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for crunch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch
Noun
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been dealing with an ongoing air traffic control staff shortage for years.Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2024
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Meanwhile, in Iran, fuel shortages have already forced the governing Islamic Mullahs to enforce rolling blackouts.Daniel Markind, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Information about suicide warning signs and resources for people in crisis can be found at the end of this story.Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
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Over the course of the four-hour training, people learn how to identify the signs, ask the right questions, be the most active listener and direct those in crisis to the proper resources to help keep them safe.Steven Martinez, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
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This muscular portion of the stomach helps the bird grind up and digest food, and it’s actually designed to hold some stones and grit to help the chicken or turkey digest food.Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2024
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Away from the impossibly glamorous Left Bank headquarters of YSL, the Hadid sisters have been deploying their softly sloping jackets to bring both nonchalance and grit to downtime looks (and Rosalía’s birthday party).Alice Newbold, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2024
Noun
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But federal health officials say the lack of heating and pasteurization poses risks like exposure to harmful bacteria like E. coli and listeria — a concern that's been amplified by bird flu spreading among dairy cattle.Natalie Daher, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
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Earlier this month Qatar said it could no longer be involved in mediation efforts due to a lack of willingness by both Hamas and Israel to engage in good faith attempts to end the deadly conflict.Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Cal Fire representatives said the current parking mess has already impacted them because the driveway to their station enters the highway not far from the trail head.J. Harry Jones, Ramona Sentinel, 19 July 2017
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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
Verb
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But the legendary key party scene only scrapes the surface, and the film's blue-gray moodiness is downright enveloping, not to mention its brutally honest depiction of family ties.Gwen Ihnat, EW.com, 23 Nov. 2024
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There are 283 Burger King locations in Ohio, according to web scraping site xMap.Alex Perry, The Enquirer, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Sign up But a 97-inch television is only scratching the surface of how big these devices can get; TCL has introduced a 115-inch television, while Samsung sells one that measures 146 inches — more than 12 feet across diagonally.Justin Klawans, The Week US, theweek, 20 Nov. 2024
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This is especially the case if your straw is plastic because, as Wu notes about plastic water bottles, they are most easily scratched and, therefore, more likely to harbor bacteria.Kayla Blanton, Outside Online, 17 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Crunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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