noun phrase🎓 English idiom
crunch time
a critical period before a deadline
What it means
Crunch time is the intense, high-pressure stretch right before something important is due — a launch, an exam, a playoff game, a board meeting. People at work, in school, and in sports use it to describe long hours, narrowed focus, and the cost-cutting of anything not essential.
Examples
- It's crunch time at the office — we ship the new version on Monday.
- She always performs best at crunch time, somehow.
- Final exams are crunch time for the whole study group.
- The team practiced overtime because crunch time was approaching fast.
Where it comes from
An American English coinage from the mid-20th century, where 'crunch' carried the sense of a tight, decisive moment under pressure. It became widespread in business and software-industry slang in the late 1900s.
Related idioms
🎓 Think you know your idioms?
Take the English Idioms Test — 20 terms, instant result, no signup.
Take the testBuilt by the team behind Deep In.