crunch

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A crunch is the sound and feeling of biting into something hard or crispy. It can also mean a situation that is difficult or challenging.

When people talk about a crunch, they often think of food - like biting into a fresh apple or a crunchy snack. But in everyday life, a crunch can refer to a tough time or a problem that needs to be solved. For example, "The company is facing a crunch in sales" means business isn't going well and it's hard to make ends meet. It can also describe a moment when you have to make a quick decision under pressure - like getting into a car before the traffic light changes from green to red.

How common is "crunch"?

Word crunch is considered uncommon in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

verb

To crush something, especially food, with a noisy crackling sound.
Example: When I came home, Susan was watching TV with her feet up on the couch, crunching a piece of celery.
To be crushed with a noisy crackling sound.
Example: Beetles crunched beneath the men's heavy boots as they worked.
(slang) To calculate or otherwise process (e.g. to crunch numbers: to perform mathematical calculations). Presumably from the sound made by mechanical calculators.
Example: That metadata makes it much easier for the search engine to crunch the data for queries.
To grind or press with violence and noise.
To emit a grinding or crunching noise.
(automotive, transitive) To cause the gears to emit a crunching sound by releasing the clutch before the gears are properly synchronised.
(computing, transitive) To compress (data) using a particular algorithm, so that it can be restored by decrunching.
(software engineering, slang, transitive) To make employees work overtime in order to meet a deadline in the development of a project.

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Real examples of "crunch" in context

Can a Ping-Pong Ball Really Be Deadly? | MythBusters | Discovery

Entertainment

But what about the crunch numbers?

3:38

Chris Pratt Tastes Jimmy's Beefmaster Tomato; Talks Veterans Writing The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

Interview

And then finish it off with a little crunchy salt.

6:14

Are Hands-Free Calls Really Safer While Driving? | Mythbusters | Discovery