crunch

[ kruhnch ]
See synonyms for: crunchcrunching on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to crush with the teeth; chew with a crushing noise.

  2. to crush or grind noisily.

  1. to tighten or squeeze financially: The administration's policy seems to crunch the economy in order to combat inflation.

verb (used without object)
  1. to chew with a crushing sound.

  2. to produce, or proceed with, a crushing noise.

noun
  1. an act or sound of crunching.

  2. a shortage or reduction of something needed or wanted: the energy crunch.

  1. distress or depressed conditions due to such a shortage or reduction: a budget crunch.

  2. a critical or dangerous situation: When the crunch comes, just do your best.

Idioms about crunch

  1. crunch numbers, Computers.

    • to perform a great many numerical calculations or extensive manipulations of numerical data.

    • to process a large amount of data.

Origin of crunch

1
1795–1805; blend of craunch and crush

Other words from crunch

  • crunch·a·ble, adjective

Words Nearby crunch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use crunch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for crunch

crunch

/ (krʌntʃ) /


verb
  1. to bite or chew (crisp foods) with a crushing or crackling sound

  2. to make or cause to make a crisp or brittle sound: the snow crunched beneath his feet

noun
  1. the sound or act of crunching

  1. the crunch informal the critical moment or situation

adjective
  1. informal critical; decisive: crunch time

Origin of crunch

1
C19: changed (through influence of munch) from earlier craunch, of imitative origin
  • Also called: craunch

Derived forms of crunch

  • crunchable, adjective
  • crunchy, adjective
  • crunchily, adverb
  • crunchiness, noun

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