crunch time
noun
: a critical moment or period (as near the end of a game) when decisive action is needed
Synonyms
Examples of crunch time in a Sentence
The team had trained well, but at crunch time they just couldn't perform.
with only three minutes left in the game, it was definitely crunch time
Recent Examples on the Web
The rookies led the charge offensively in the second half, as Jackson and Brink finished with 15 and 16 points, respectively, with each making huge plays in crunch time.
—
Andrés Soto, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2024
The Mavericks were able to win a playoff game in crunch time without either superstar scoring in the final three minutes.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2024
Johns Hopkins’ usual suspects scored some big goals in crunch time Sunday afternoon against visiting Lehigh, but the Blue Jays found a different hero to help seal their 13-10 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
—Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun, 12 May 2024
Every game in the Nuggets-Lakers series, Denver fell behind early only to creep back and execute in crunch time.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 5 May 2024
Domantas Sabonis made a go-ahead dunk with 22 seconds left, Barnes scored a career-high 39 points with back-to-back baskets in crunch time, and the Kings held off the Warriors 134-133 on Thursday night to split their season series at two games each.
—Janie McCauley, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2024
In one key moment, the kind that largely had been missing in crunch time in past matchups against the Nuggets, Paul George collected a rebound off a Nikola Jokic miss and James Harden found Kawhi Leonard for a short jumper.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023
Then Green fouled out with 58 seconds remaining of a tie game, leaving the Warriors without their two best players in crunch time.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
Bolstered by analytics, teams are seemingly going for it on fourth downs and trying for two-point conversions more than ever -- and not just in crunch time.
—USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
Andrés Soto, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2024
The Mavericks were able to win a playoff game in crunch time without either superstar scoring in the final three minutes.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2024
Johns Hopkins’ usual suspects scored some big goals in crunch time Sunday afternoon against visiting Lehigh, but the Blue Jays found a different hero to help seal their 13-10 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
—Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun, 12 May 2024
Every game in the Nuggets-Lakers series, Denver fell behind early only to creep back and execute in crunch time.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 5 May 2024
Domantas Sabonis made a go-ahead dunk with 22 seconds left, Barnes scored a career-high 39 points with back-to-back baskets in crunch time, and the Kings held off the Warriors 134-133 on Thursday night to split their season series at two games each.
—Janie McCauley, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2024
In one key moment, the kind that largely had been missing in crunch time in past matchups against the Nuggets, Paul George collected a rebound off a Nikola Jokic miss and James Harden found Kawhi Leonard for a short jumper.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023
Then Green fouled out with 58 seconds remaining of a tie game, leaving the Warriors without their two best players in crunch time.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
Bolstered by analytics, teams are seemingly going for it on fourth downs and trying for two-point conversions more than ever -- and not just in crunch time.
—USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crunch time.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near crunch time
Cite this Entry
“Crunch time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crunch%20time. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
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