CRUNCH TIME Definition & Meaning

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crunch time

a period of intense pressure; a critical situation: Compare crunch ( def 10 ).
It's crunch time for high-tech companies.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of crunch time¹

1975–80

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Idioms and Phrases

A period when pressure to succeed is great, often toward the end of an undertaking. For example, It's crunch time—we only have two more days to finish . This term employs crunch in the sense of “a critical situation or test.” [ Slang ; 1970s]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“He already is steeped in these issues, he knows what the facts are. He knows all the players. It’s crunch time.”

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UCLA’s leading scorer struggled in crunch time: Betts missed all three of her fourth-quarter shots — two of which Watkins swatted away on her way to a career-high eight blocks.

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Now it’s crunch time and we have to show our quality.”

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But nothing to show for it after another choke at crunch time.

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Austin Reaves, one of the Lakers’ best shooters, missed two earlier in crunch time.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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