as in crisis
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 time
Barrett showed some excellent composure in crunch time.
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Eric Koreen, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024
Burrow lost in prime time to the Chargers after failing to come through in crunch time, dropping the Bengals to 4-7.
—C.j. Doon, Baltimore Sun, 19 Nov. 2024
Funding cliff This is not the first time the SSA has faced an insolvency predicament, with the early 1980s being another crunch time for the government agency.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
The games often followed a familiar script, with the Lakers hanging around until the Nuggets eventually distanced themselves — often in crunch time — through a mix of shotmaking, execution, size and chemistry.
—Jovan Buha, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for crunch time 
Eric Koreen, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024
Burrow lost in prime time to the Chargers after failing to come through in crunch time, dropping the Bengals to 4-7.
—C.j. Doon, Baltimore Sun, 19 Nov. 2024
Funding cliff This is not the first time the SSA has faced an insolvency predicament, with the early 1980s being another crunch time for the government agency.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
The games often followed a familiar script, with the Lakers hanging around until the Nuggets eventually distanced themselves — often in crunch time — through a mix of shotmaking, execution, size and chemistry.
—Jovan Buha, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for crunch time
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crunch time
Noun
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Across the last two decades, America has been experiencing a notable maternal health crisis.Cynthia McEwen, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
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Accusations that the military’s leadership was negligent and that its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs had eroded its fighting capability and caused a recruitment crisis became standard Republican rhetoric.Ronald R. Krebs, Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Delimitros said one of the truck’s side view mirrors struck her in the head, causing minor injuries.David Hernandez, sandiegouniontribune.com, 19 July 2017
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There's always one shot that leaves a golfer shaking his or her head.Mike Hutton, Post-Tribune, 19 July 2017
Noun
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The match couldn’t have been more off from nearly the onset, and a possible breaking point was reached after weeks of unravelling when Skinner was held out of the lineup for Sunday’s 5-3 road loss to the Anaheim Ducks.Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
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Here, however, there’s a distinctly feminist twist, with Demi Moore’s Elisabeth Sparkle pushed to her breaking point by an entertainment industry eager to discard women over 50.Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Things apparently reached a boiling point when the boyfriend’s 65-year-old mother recently got engaged.Toria Sheffield, People.com, 11 Jan. 2025
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Things seemed to reach a boiling point after the team’s 20-17 loss to the woeful Panthers in Germany.Charlotte Carroll, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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What had been an inconvenience in one direction is now a blockage for both, a potential flash point.Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Jan. 2025
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This fall, the event became an unexpected flash point in L.A.’s debate over gentrification as long-simmering neighborhood tensions exploded and a vocal group of residents ultimately pushed the ultra-popular flea market out of town.Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near crunch time
Cite this Entry
“Crunch time.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crunch%20time. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
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