Crunch

Part of Speech

Noun, Verb

Pronunciation

/krʌntʃ/ (English - US & UK)

Definitions

• (Noun) A loud, crisp sound made when something hard is crushed or chewed.
• (Noun) A critical or difficult situation.
• (Verb) To crush or break something noisily.
• (Verb) To calculate or process large amounts of data.

Usage Examples

• "I love the crunch of fresh lettuce in my sandwich."
• "The company is facing a financial crunch."
• "He crunched the dry leaves under his boots."
• "The computer is crunching numbers to analyze the data."

Etymology

Derived from Middle English "crenche," likely imitative of the sound of crushing or biting.

Synonyms

• Crackle, crack, grind, gnash, squeeze

Antonyms

• Silence, smooth, expand

Translations

Regional Pronunciation Variations

British English: /krʌntʃ/, American English: /krʌntʃ/

Historical Usage

First used in English literature in the 19th century, often describing the sound of biting into food or breaking objects.

Cultural Nuances

"Crunch" is often used in fitness contexts (e.g., "ab crunches") and business settings to refer to pressure situations (e.g., "crunch time").

More Information

In popular media, "crunch" is also associated with a difficult period of intense work, particularly in industries like gaming and software development.