Crunches — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ˈkrənch/

Meaning & Definition of Crunches

Crunches (verb)

  1. to chew or press with a crushing noise
  2. to make one's way with a crushing noise
  3. to chew, press, or grind with a crunching sound
  4. to chew (a piece of food) in a way that makes a loud sound

Crunches (noun)

  1. an act of crunching
  2. a sound made by crunching
  3. the quality of being crunchy, the tendency to make a crunching sound when chewed or pressed
  4. a hypothetical cosmological event in which all matter in the universe collapses to a singularity and which is posited to be a possible fate of the universe if the density of matter in it is sufficiently high

Crunches (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number

    "a severe energy crunch that resulted in long lines at the gas pumps"

    similar: dearths, deficiencies, deficits, droughts, failures, famines, inadequacies, insufficiencies, lacks, lacunae, paucities, pinches, poverties, scarcities, shortages, undersupplies, wants
    related: absences, omissions, necessities, needs, privations
    opposite: abundances, adequacies, amplitudes, opulences, plenitudes, plenties, sufficiencies, wealths
    near: excesses, overabundances, oversupplies, surfeits, surpluses

  2. a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action

    "a player who's always good in a crunch, like when we need a goal to win the soccer match"

    similar: boiling points, breaking points, clutches, conjunctures, crises, crossroads, crunch times, Dunkirks, emergencies, exigencies, extremities, flash points, heads, junctures, tinderboxes, zero hours, moments of truth, points of no return
    related: contingencies, possibilities, climaxes, turning points, happenings, landmarks, milestones, conditions, passes, situations, straits, deadlocks, impasses, stalemates, corners, fixes, holes, hot waters, jams, last ditches, pinches, predicaments, scrapes, spots, eleventh hours, last minutes

Crunches (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound

    "I could hear the bicycle gears crunch as I shifted the derailleur"

    similar: gnashes, grates, grinds, grits, scrapes, scrunches
    related: creaks, groans, moans, rasps, scratches, whines, clashes, collides, jangles, jars

Related Entry: Crunch (noun)

Crunch is a different word from Crunches. The synonyms below are for crunch, not for crunches.

  1. a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number

    "a severe energy crunch that resulted in long lines at the gas pumps"

    similar: dearth, deficiency, deficit, drought, failure, famine, inadequacy, inadequateness, insufficiency, lack, lacuna, paucity, pinch, poverty, scantiness, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, undersupply, want
    related: absence, omission, meagerness, poorness, skimpiness, necessity, need, privation
    opposite: abundance, adequacy, amplitude, opulence, plenitude, plenty, sufficiency, wealth
    near: bountifulness, copiousness, excess, overabundance, oversupply, surfeit, surplus

  2. a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action

    "a player who's always good in a crunch, like when we need a goal to win the soccer match"

    similar: boiling point, breaking point, clutch, conjuncture, crisis, crossroad(s), crunch time, Dunkirk, emergency, exigency, extremity, flash point, head, juncture, tinderbox, zero hour, moment of truth, point of no return
    related: contingency, possibility, climax, turning point, happening, landmark, milestone, condition, pass, situation, strait, deadlock, impasse, stalemate, corner, fix, hole, hot water, jam, last ditch, pinch, predicament, scrape, spot, eleventh hour, last minute

Related Entry: Crunch (verb)

Crunch is a different word from Crunches. The synonyms below are for crunch, not for crunches.

  1. to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound

    "I could hear the bicycle gears crunch as I shifted the derailleur"

    similar: gnash, grate, grind, grit, scrape, scrunch
    related: creak, groan, moan, rasp, scratch, whine, clash, collide, jangle, jar

Related Entry: Crunch (on) (verb)

Crunch (on) is a different word from Crunches. The synonyms below are for crunch (on), not for crunches.

  1. to crush or grind with the teeth

    "people who crunch on hard candies during movies really annoy me"

    similar: bite (on), champ, chaw, chew, chomp (on), gnaw (on), masticate, nibble, sink one's teeth into
    related: ruminate, munch, nosh, snack, consume, eat, ingest, swallow, bolt, devour, gobble (up or down), gorge, gulp, scarf, scoff, wolf, nip, peck (at), pick (at), gum, mumble

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Crunches

The most common words with a similar meaning to Crunches:

dearths, deficiencies, deficits, droughts, failures, famines, inadequacies, insufficiencies, lacks, lacunae, paucities, pinches, poverties, scarcities, shortages, undersupplies, wants, boiling points, breaking points, clutches, conjunctures, crises, crossroads, crunch times, Dunkirks, emergencies, exigencies, extremities, flash points, heads, junctures, tinderboxes, zero hours, moments of truth, points of no return, gnashes, grates, grinds, grits, scrapes

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Crunches

Words with the opposite meaning of Crunches:

abundances, adequacies, amplitudes, opulences, plenitudes, plenties, sufficiencies, wealths

Related Words for Crunches

absences, omissions, necessities, needs, privations, contingencies, possibilities, climaxes, turning points, happenings, landmarks, milestones, conditions, passes, situations, straits, deadlocks, impasses, stalemates, corners, fixes, holes, hot waters, jams, last ditches, predicaments, spots, eleventh hours, last minutes, creaks

Near Antonyms of Crunches

excesses, overabundances, oversupplies, surfeits, surpluses

Word Forms of Crunches

Inflections: crunched, crunching, crunched on, crunching on, crunches on

Derived words: crunchable (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Crunches

alteration of craunch

First known use: 1706i

Frequently Asked Questions about Crunches

What does "Crunches" mean?

"Crunches" means to chew or press with a crushing noise. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: to chew or press with a crushing noise. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Crunches"?

Other words for "Crunches" include dearths, deficiencies, deficits, droughts, failures, famines, inadequacies and insufficiencies. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Crunches" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Crunches"?

There are 80 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Crunches". Common alternatives include dearths, deficiencies, deficits, droughts, failures, famines, inadequacies, insufficiencies, lacks and lacunae.

What is the opposite of "Crunches"?

Antonyms of "Crunches" include abundances, adequacies, amplitudes, opulences, plenitudes, plenties, sufficiencies and wealths. Near antonyms include excesses, overabundances, oversupplies and surfeits.

How do you use "Crunches" in a sentence?

Examples of "Crunches" in a sentence: "a severe energy crunch that resulted in long lines at the gas pumps"; "a player who's always good in a crunch, like when we need a goal to win the soccer match"; "I could hear the bicycle gears crunch as I shifted the derailleur".

Is "Crunches" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Crunches" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Crunches"?

"Crunches" is pronounced /ˈkrənch/.

What is the origin of the word "Crunches"?

"Crunches" comes from alteration of craunch. First known use: 1706i.