crunch time

American

a period of intense pressure; a critical situation.

It's crunch time for high-tech companies.

crunch time Idioms

A period when pressure to succeed is great, often toward the end of an undertaking. For example, It's crunch time—we only have two more days to finish. This term employs crunch in the sense of “a critical situation or test.” [Slang; 1970s]

Etymology

Origin of crunch time

1975–80

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.

It was admirable that Wemby played chess and devoured paperbacks, but what was going to happen in crunch time, when an opponent socked him in the gut and tried to shake him?

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Tanking used to be the territory of general managers who assembled lackluster rosters, not of coaches who sat healthy players in the crunch time of games.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

It sounds like you have been operating on crunch time for these upcoming shows.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

It's approaching crunch time in the show, with the grand final taking place on 20 December.

From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025

The Talentine show was Friday, and Mr. Partridge had been telling them for days that it was crunch time.

From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023