# crunch

/ˈkɹəntʃ/ (US) · /kɹˈʌntʃ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/crunch
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. a crushing sound

noun · CEFR B1

the loud sound of something being crushed or broken.

For teachers: a distinct, noisy crackling or grinding sound produced by crushing a brittle substance.

- We heard the crunch of dry leaves under our boots as we walked through the woods.
- The silence of the winter morning was broken only by the rhythmic crunch of footsteps on the frozen crust of the snow.

### 2. a shortage or crisis

noun · CEFR B2

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

For teachers: 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.

### 3. stomach exercise

noun · CEFR B1

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

For teachers: 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.

### 4. overtime work

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Technical

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

For teachers: 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.

Usage: Often used as an uncountable noun in this context.

Teaching tip: This is a very common term in the tech and gaming industries; it carries a negative connotation regarding work-life balance.

### 5. to process numbers

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to process or calculate large amounts of information quickly.

For teachers: 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.

Usage: Almost always used with 'numbers' or 'data' as the object.

### 6. to chew noisily

verb · CEFR B1

to crush food loudly with your teeth.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- The team is feeling the crunch as the deadline approaches.
- With the budget crunch affecting every department, we had to cancel our annual summer retreat to save costs.
- The sudden credit crunch left many small businesses unable to secure the short-term loans necessary to maintain their daily operations during the slow season.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.