big crunch

American  

[big kruhnch] / ˈbɪg ˈkrʌntʃ /

noun

plural

big crunches

1. Astronomy. Also, Big Crunch. a hypothetical event in which gravitational attraction causes the universe to contract until it eventually collapses to a singularity or black hole.

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big crunch Scientific  

1. The convergence of all matter, energy, and space into a single, minute point. This convergence is hypothesized to be the final event in the universe in some cosmological theories.

2. Compare big bang See also closed universe

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Example Sentences

"This big crunch defines the end of the universe," Tye wrote.

From Science Daily • Feb. 16, 2026

Mr. Butler said he had been prepared for a big crunch, given the doom and gloom swirling around the industry.

From New York Times • Mar. 10, 2023

Will it continue expanding forever, or be pulled into reverse, ending in a big crunch?

From Science Magazine • Jan. 13, 2022

"They start with all-white meat chicken, and get their big crunch from a combo of the wheat crackers and walnuts that make up our ghostly delicious coating," said Cain.

From Fox News • Oct. 23, 2021

Similarly, if the whole universe recollapsed, there must be another state of infinite density in the future, the big crunch, which would be an end of time.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking