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

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Example Sentences

But prior tightening, a credit crunch and poorly timed fiscal moves turned a temporary disruption into a recession.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

As nervousness spread, even banks eventually stopped lending to each other for fear of not getting their money back, creating a so-called "credit crunch".

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Problems in private credit aren’t so widespread as to cause a massive credit crunch and downturn in the economy and markets.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Cass is dismissive of “debt refinancings,” but some of us are old enough to remember the 2008 credit crunch when businesses had trouble issuing commercial paper.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

More frequent are a recession, a slump, a credit crunch, a slowdown, a growth recession and other less exotic variants.

From After the Rain : how the West lost the East by Vaknin, Samuel