crunch

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. a difficult situation caused by a lack of money or time.

n. a critical situation resulting from a shortage of resources, typically financial or temporal.

“The sudden credit crunch made it very difficult for small businesses to get loans.”

“Faced with a severe budget crunch, the department was forced to cancel several long-term research projects and reduce its administrative staff.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Sports

n. an exercise for your stomach muscles where you lift your shoulders off the floor.

n. an abdominal exercise performed by lying on the back and lifting the torso toward the knees without raising the lower back.

“He did fifty crunches every morning to strengthen his core.”

“The trainer emphasized that performing a slow, controlled crunch is more effective for abdominal development than doing rapid, jerky sit-ups.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Computing Informal · Technical

n. a period of intense work and long hours to finish a project on time.

n. a period of compulsory or high-pressure overtime, particularly prevalent in the software and video game industries before a product launch.

“The developers were in crunch for three months to get the game ready for Christmas.”

“Industry critics have frequently denounced the culture of 'crunch' as an unsustainable practice that leads to employee burnout and high turnover rates.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Computing Informal

v. to process or calculate large amounts of information quickly.

v. to process large volumes of data or perform complex numerical calculations.

“The computer takes a few minutes to crunch all the data from the survey.”

“Modern supercomputers can crunch trillions of operations per second, allowing meteorologists to create more accurate weather models than ever before.”

B1 · Intermediate Cooking

v. to crush food loudly with your teeth.

v. to chew or grind something with a noisy, crackling sound.

“She sat on the sofa crunching an apple while she watched the news.”

“The guests sat around the table, happily crunching on fresh celery stalks and toasted pita chips while waiting for the main course.”