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
Example Sentences
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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
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At least five controllers took 45 days of trauma leave after the incident, leading to a staffing shortage that canceled and delayed more than a thousand flights.—
Pete Muntean,
CNN Money,
19 May 2025
-
The Philadelphia air traffic control facility that handles flights at Newark is also experiencing a staffing shortage.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Since returning to office, Trump has moved with speed and severity to eliminate legal immigration pathways, particularly humanitarian protections for those who fled crises abroad.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 May 2025
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Greece, which faced a major economic crisis a decade ago, has since experienced a strong rebound and a booming tourism sector under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.—
Russell Flannery,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
Verb
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After sweeping aside Monza in their first Coppa Italia outing, their road to the final had not been easier, gritting out an impressive win over Atalanta in the quarterfinals before beating an Empoli side who had eliminated Juventus in the previous round.—
Adam Digby,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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Lee’s big swing came after Bailey Ober, working a day earlier than expected because of Joe Ryan’s illness, gritted out a start where nothing seemed to come easy.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
After two days exploring Barcelona, Spain, Napton was surprised at the lack of political discourse.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
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Morehouse graduates applaud the honor Part of the tragedy of Hubert’s lynching was a lack of awareness surrounding his story among Morehouse graduates until only recently, several alumni said.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
25 May 2025
Noun
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Delimitros said one of the truck’s side view mirrors struck her in the head, causing minor injuries.—
David Hernandez,
sandiegouniontribune.com,
19 July 2017
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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
Verb
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The links with current Saudi champions Al Hilal are genuine, and that should be the real concern for everyone at Old Trafford — not whether Fernandes is overrated, underrated or secretly wants to scrape his studs down Keane’s shins.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
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Video footage on social media shows the ship — flying a huge Mexican flag — scraping the underside and its masts collapsing onto the deck.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
18 May 2025
Verb
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Names scratched into the rusty walls are a bad sign.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2025
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These unsung hair heroes massage and (gently) scratch your head to make sure there are no dead skin cells or product residue left behind.—
Jessica Kasparian,
Allure,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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