crunch time

American  

1. a period of intense pressure; a critical situation.

   It's crunch time for high-tech companies.

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crunch time Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of crunch time

1975–80

Example Sentences

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

Exams season is upon us, which means after months of learning, revising and memorising it's nearly crunch time.

From BBC • May 1, 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

Welcome to February’s gym crunch time, when winter sports teams such as basketball are busy with playoffs and spring sports teams such as volleyball are gearing up for the start of their season.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

I have a lot to get caught up on, and you know that these last few weeks before April 15th are crunch time for accountants every year.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick