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

“When it comes to crunch time, he can be counted on.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

The Talentine show was Friday, and Mr. Partridge had been telling them for days that it was crunch time.

From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead