crunch time
a period of intense pressure; a critical situation: It's crunch time for high-tech companies.Compare crunch(def 10).
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Nearby words
Origin of crunch time
1975–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Idioms and Phrases with crunch time
crunch time
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]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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