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

to crush or grind noisily.

to tighten or squeeze financially

The administration's policy seems to crunch the economy in order to combat inflation.

to chew with a crushing sound.

to produce, or proceed with, a crushing noise.

an act or sound of crunching.

a shortage or reduction of something needed or wanted

the energy crunch.

distress or depressed conditions due to such a shortage or reduction

a budget crunch.

a critical or dangerous situation

When the crunch comes, just do your best.

crunch numbers

Computers .

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

to process a large amount of data.

noun

trivia

noun

crisis , critical point , crux , difficulty , emergency , hour of decision , moment of truth * , problem , test , trouble , trying time

verb

beat , bite , champ , chaw , chomp , crush , gnaw , masticate , munch , ruminate , scrunch , chump , crump , gnash , chew , confrontation , crisis , crux , grind , press , tread