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credit crunch

British  

noun

  1. informal a period during which there is a sudden reduction in the availability of credit from banks and other lenders

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

“While defaults remain low, they are rising and getting media attention. As a result, withdrawals are also increasing among retail investors, raising the risk of a credit crunch.”

From Barron's

He warns that a credit crunch or pullback in sentiment such as seen the early 2000s would see a lot of that spending by those companies drop fairly fast.

From MarketWatch

“I do not currently see the potential for private credit to contribute to an unexpected credit crunch in the same way that the asset-backed commercial paper market did in 2008,” she said.

From Barron's

That was more than double any other response, including fears of a possible credit crunch or a broadening of the wars in Ukraine or the Middle East.

From Seattle Times

The once-booming industry has been hit by a severe credit crunch, with some of the biggest firms now on the brink of financial collapse.

From BBC