crunch

[kruhnch] /krʌntʃ/
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.
Idioms
10.
crunch numbers, Computers.
  1. to perform a great many numerical calculations or extensive manipulations of numerical data.
  2. to process a large amount of data.
Also, craunch.
Origin
1795-1805; blend of craunch and crush
Related forms
crunchable, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for crunch numbers

crunch

/krʌntʃ/
verb
1.
to bite or chew (crisp foods) with a crushing or crackling sound
2.
to make or cause to make a crisp or brittle sound: the snow crunched beneath his feet
noun
3.
the sound or act of crunching
4.
short for abdominal crunch
5.
(informal) the crunch, the critical moment or situation
adjective
6.
(informal) critical; decisive: crunch time
Also called craunch
Derived Forms
crunchable, adjective
crunchy, adjective
crunchily, adverb
crunchiness, noun
Word Origin
C19: changed (through influence of munch) from earlier craunch, of imitative origin
Word Origin and History for crunch numbers

crunch

v.

1814, from craunch (1630s), probably of imitative origin. Related: Crunched; crunching. The noun is 1836, from the verb; the sense of "critical moment" was popularized 1939 by Winston Churchill, who had used it in his 1938 biography of Marlborough.

Slang definitions & phrases for crunch numbers

crunch numbers

verb phrase

To do arithmetic or mathematics; calculate: But if the general reader is up to crunching some numbers, Sportsbiz could be a pleasing ticket to understanding the money in sports (1980s+ Computer)


crunch

modifier

: : It's Crunch Time in the Havens

noun
  1. A crisis; a desperate climax; squeeze: Then came the political conventions that summer, and more crunches/ A ''crunch'' is characterized by a skyrocketing of interest rates and a choking off of the availability of credit/ The ''crunch'' between press and Government is inevitable in American affairs (1930s+)
  2. Akindof exercise for the stomach, in which one pulls the head off the floor while lying on one's back: Actress Julianne Phillips keeps her stomach flat by doing 6,000 ''crunches'' a week (1990s+)
verb
  1. To process, usually in a wearisome way (1980s+ Computer)
  2. To study intensely; pull an all-nighter (1980s+ Students)

Idioms and Phrases with crunch numbers

crunch numbers

Perform numerous calculations or process a large amount of numerical data. For example, Preparing John's presentation to the Federal Reserve Board required many hours of crunching numbers. This term originated with the computer age and indeed still applies mostly to the operations of computers. [ ; second half of 1900s ]