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   crunch

   /krʌn(t)ʃ/

   verb

   • 1. crush (a hard or brittle foodstuff) with the teeth, making a loud but muffled grinding sound: "she paused to crunch a ginger biscuit" Similar munchchew noisilychompchampbitegnawmasticateeatdevourconsumerare:chumble
   • ▪ make a crunching sound, especially when walking or driving over gravel or an icy surface: "footsteps began to crunch across the frozen rock"
   • 2. (especially of a computer) process (large quantities of information): "the program crunches data from 14,000 sensors to decipher evolving patterns"

   noun

   • 1. 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. a crucial point or situation, typically one at which a decision with important consequences must be made: informal "when it comes to the crunch you chicken out"
   • ▪ a severe shortage of money or credit: "the agencies are facing a financial crunch"
   • 3. a physical exercise designed to strengthen the abdominal muscles; a sit-up.

   Word Origin early 19th century (as a verb): variant of 17th-century cranch (probably imitative), by association with crush and munch.

   Scrabble Points: 13

   • C

     3

   • R

     1

   • U

     1

   • N

     1

   • C

     3

   • H

     4

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