as in crises
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action
with only three minutes left in the game, it was definitely crunch time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch times
Noun
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Gas is still cheaper than in several prior geopolitical crises and energy is a smaller share of people's expenses.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026 -
Structural adjustment programs devastated social services through budget cuts and user fees, creating barriers for the poor to access basic health care and education, while the liberalization of mining sectors caused severe environmental degradation and health crises.—
Sven van Mourik,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Strikes have repeatedly hit areas near Qa’im, a town on the border with Syria, and near Rutba, a key crossroads on the Amman–Baghdad route and a strategic gateway toward Syria and Jordan.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
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Vance appears poised to stand at the crossroads of those varying interests.—
Gabe Kaminsky,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The intense temperature and pressure of the impact heated the moon's crust and mantle so much that many of the volatile elements present (volatiles are elements with low boiling points), including potassium, evaporated and escaped into space.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Thermodynamics drives selective recovery The researchers hypothesized that FJH combined with chlorine gas could exploit differences in Gibbs free energy and boiling points to selectively remove non-REE elements from magnet waste.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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One of the flash points in women’s college basketball history unfolded during the 2021 NCAA tournament, when all teams were quarantined in the same bubble in San Antonio for all rounds during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2026
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But more potential flash points loom.—
JILL LAWLESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Too many department heads are cronies, not experienced experts.—
Hal Valderhaug,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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Peach heads for the Galaxy Gateway with Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), while Mario, Luigi and their new dino pal Yoshi (Donald Glover) hold things down with the ‘shrooms … for a while anyway.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Crunch times.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch%20times. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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