crunched; crunching; crunches
1
: to chew or press with a crushing noise
2
: to make one's way with a crushing noise
1
: to chew, press, or grind with a crunching sound
2
: process
especially
: to perform mathematical computations on
crunch numbers
plural crunches
1
a
: an act of crunching
ate the cracker in one crunch
b
: a sound made by crunching
The only sound was the crunch of leaves underfoot.
There was a rather loud crunch as I bit into the battered dumplings.—
Fraser Glen
Fraser Glen
c
: the quality of being crunchy : the tendency to make a crunching sound when chewed or pressed
… make sure you have protein, a carbohydrate and a vegetable. You have to have crunch, flavour, salty and sweet in one.—Carla Grossetti
Carla GrossettiTexture is king in this salad, … with added crunch from toasted walnuts.—Eleanor Maidment
Eleanor Maidment2
: a tight or critical situation: such as
a
: a severe economic squeeze (as on credit)
b
: shortage
an energy crunch
a time crunch
c
: a critical point in the buildup of pressure between opposing elements : showdown
… the odd loss at Bankwest, combined with winning virtually nothing on the road, is going to come back to haunt them when the season reaches the crunch.—Scott Pryde
Scott Pryde3
: a conditioning exercise performed from a supine position by raising and lowering the upper torso without reaching a sitting position
Examples of crunch in a Sentence
Verb
We could hear the truck's tires crunching along the gravel road.
When she crunched the numbers, she found that the business's profits were actually much lower than the company had said.
Noun
the crunch of someone eating a carrot
We could hear the crunch of the truck's tires on the gravel road.
The crunch came when the computer stopped working.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2025
But new research suggests zeroing in on your daily heart rate and step count—and taking an extra second to crunch those numbers—could provide a clearer view into your cardiovascular health.
—Cathy Cassata, Health, 5 Apr. 2025
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2025
Each sandwich is also partially rolled into a topping, which adds a nice crunch to the overall tasting experience.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Although the first orbiting data centers will exclusively crunch data collected in space, some technologists think that power-hungry computing infrastructure would in the future do better in space, where solar power is constant and cooling is easy.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2025
But new research suggests zeroing in on your daily heart rate and step count—and taking an extra second to crunch those numbers—could provide a clearer view into your cardiovascular health.
—Cathy Cassata, Health, 5 Apr. 2025
Noun
The oil price may continue to drop, and Moscow may feel manpower crunches ahead.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2025
Each sandwich is also partially rolled into a topping, which adds a nice crunch to the overall tasting experience.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crunch
Cite this Entry
“Crunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crunch. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crunch
1 of 2 verb1
: to chew, press, or grind with a crushing noise
2
: to move with a crushing sound
crunch
2 of 2 noun1
: an act or sound of crunching
2
: crisis sense 3
the energy crunch
3
: an exercise done by lying on the back and rising up without reaching a sitting position by bending forward at the waist
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