1crush (a hard or brittle foodstuff) with the teeth, making a loud but muffled grinding sound:she paused to crunch a ginger biscuit
[no object] make a crunching sound, especially when walking or driving over gravel or an icy surface:footsteps began to crunch across the frozen rockthe snow crunched as we walked
2(especially of a computer) process (large quantities of information):the program crunches data from 14,000 sensors to decipher evolving patterns
noun
1 [usually in singular] a loud muffled grinding sound like that of something hard or brittle being crushed:Marco’s fist struck Brian’s nose with a crunch
2 (the crunch) informal a crucial point or situation, typically one at which a decision with important consequences must be made:when it comes to the crunch you chicken out
a severe shortage of money or credit:the agencies are facing a financial crunch
3a physical exercise designed to strengthen the abdominal muscles; a sit-up.
Origin:
early 19th century (as a verb): variant of 17th-century cranch (probably imitative), by association with crush and munch
