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
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Recent Examples of crunch times
In crunch times, our duties overlap.
—
Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch times
Noun
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The Institute observed that a UBI program did not necessarily cause inflation; delivery system strength is key; an effective communication strategy is essential; the UBI program should fit within existing schemes; and crises shed light on the gaps in social protection systems.—
Carrie Brandon Elliot,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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As mental health crises and resources continue to stretch, many fear the consequences could echo the fallout from the Covid pandemic.—
Will Barker,
TheWeek,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Initially trained in physics at Imperial College London before working at Amazon, Cuturi approaches the art world with the logic of a strategist but the instincts of a collector, positioning his gallery at the crossroads between Southeast Asia and Europe rather than simply another Parisian outpost.—
Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
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DiVincenzo is an easy player to plug into a variety of lineups, as the last few years have shown, but that’s a difficult injury to be at a crossroads for.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
18 May 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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The context for Xi’s remarks was a potential war between China and the United States over Taiwan, and the urgency to tamp down flash points.—
Letters to the Editor,
Washington Post,
17 May 2026
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Despite the focus on the Middle East, the leaders took up major regional flash points, including the South China Sea territorial disputes involving Beijing, a five-year civil war in Myanmar and a recent border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.—
Jim Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Heher and Hartje exchanged words after the play, and players and coaches from both benches streamed onto the field before cooler heads prevailed.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
23 May 2026
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Friday's episode of SmackDown was mostly uneventful as WWE heads for back-to-back weekends of premium live events.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crunch times.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch%20times. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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