crunches

- 2 dictionary results

crunch

[kruhnch]

–verb (used with object)

1.	to crush with the teeth; chew with a crushing noise.

2.	to crush or grind noisily.

3.	to tighten or squeeze financially: The administration's policy seems to crunch the economy in order to combat inflation.

–verb (used without object)

4.	to chew with a crushing sound.

5.	to produce, or proceed with, a crushing noise.

–noun

6.	an act or sound of crunching.

7.	a shortage or reduction of something needed or wanted: the energy crunch.

8.	distress or depressed conditions due to such a shortage or reduction: a budget crunch.

9.	a critical or dangerous situation: When the crunch comes, just do your best.

—Idiom

10.

crunch numbers, Computers.

a.	to perform a great many numerical calculations or extensive manipulations of numerical data.

b.	to process a large amount of data.

Also, craunch.

Origin:
1795–1805; b. craunch and crush

Related forms:

crunch⋅a⋅ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

crunch (krŭnch)

v. crunched, crunch·ing, crunch·es

v. tr.

To chew with a noisy crackling sound.
To crush, grind, or tread noisily.
Slang To perform operations on; manipulate or process (numerical or mathematical data).

v. intr.

The act or sound of crunching.
A modified sit-up having a smaller range of motion that reduces back strain and strengthens the abdominal muscles: stomach crunches.
1. A decisive confrontation.
2. A critical moment or situation, especially one that occurs because of a shortage of time or resources: a year-end crunch; an energy crunch.
3. A period of financial difficulty characterized by tight money and unavailability of credit.

[Alteration of craunch, possibly of imitative origin.]
crunch'a·ble adj.

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