crunch
Americanverb (used with object)
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to crush with the teeth; chew with a crushing noise.
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to crush or grind noisily.
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to tighten or squeeze financially.
The administration's policy seems to crunch the economy in order to combat inflation.
verb (used without object)
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to chew with a crushing sound.
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to produce, or proceed with, a crushing noise.
noun
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an act or sound of crunching.
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a shortage or reduction of something needed or wanted.
the energy crunch.
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distress or depressed conditions due to such a shortage or reduction.
a budget crunch.
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a critical or dangerous situation.
When the crunch comes, just do your best.
idioms
verb
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to bite or chew (crisp foods) with a crushing or crackling sound
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to make or cause to make a crisp or brittle sound
the snow crunched beneath his feet
noun
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the sound or act of crunching
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short for abdominal crunch
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informal the critical moment or situation
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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crunchsimple
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crunchessimple
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have crunchedperfect
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has crunchedperfect
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am crunchingprogressive
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are crunchingprogressive
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is crunchingprogressive
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have been crunchingperfect progressive
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has been crunchingperfect progressive
Past
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crunchedsimple
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had crunchedperfect
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was crunchingprogressive
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were crunchingprogressive
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had been crunchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crunch
Explanation
When you crunch something, you grind it into tiny pieces, often with your teeth. You can also crunch whole spices into smaller bits with a mortar and pestle. A horse might crunch an apple, and on a summer day you might drink a glass of iced tea and crunch the ice between your teeth. You could also describe the sound of gravel underneath the wheels of a car or feet walking in fresh snow as a crunch. A figurative crunch is a deadline or crisis: "When it came to the crunch, I just voted for the person who would do the least harm."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Appeared in the April 3, 2026, print edition as 'Aluminum Crunch Risks Worsening'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
Because nothing says clear skin like Cheesy Gordita Crunch and Beefy 5-Layer Burrito.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
Nominally it is all to mark 120 years of Le Crunch – their rivalry with England.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
Crunch, as a sensation, sometimes works like a gentle tether back to appetite.
From Salon • Jan. 29, 2026
Game Time and Crunch Time engaged in a particularly sweaty and determined fencing match, their improvised swords—a fireplace poker and a snow shovel handle—whizzing and clanking.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
