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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In addition to defending these policies, Newsom is prioritizing urgent action on the state's ongoing wildfire crisis.Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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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
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Now, Maineri heads into year 12 with 18 pitchers on his roster, hoping that rising junior Caleb Gilbert and sophomore-to-be Zach Hess will emerge at the top of the pitching rotation.John Roach, NOLA.com, 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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The gaps hint that a critical flash point of America’s political impasse may be misunderstood.Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2024
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But between these major flash points were hundreds of smaller moments that caught the internet’s attention.Natasha Frost, New York Times, 20 Dec. 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 17 Jan. 2025.
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