(~es, ~ing, ~ed)
1.
If you ~ something hard, such as a sweet, you crush it noisily between your teeth.
She sucked an ice cube into her mouth, and ~ed it loudly...
Richard ~ed into the apple.
VERB: V n, V into/on n
2.
If something ~es or if you ~ it, it makes a breaking or crushing noise, for example when you step on it.
A piece of china ~ed under my foot...
He ~ed the sheets of paper in his hands.
= s~
VERB: V, V n
•
Crunch is also a noun.
She heard the ~ of tires on the gravel driveway.
N-COUNT; SOUND
3.
If you ~ across a surface made of very small stones, you move across it causing it to make a ~ing noise.
I ~ed across the gravel.
...wheels ~ing over a stony surface.
VERB: V prep/adv, V prep/adv
4.
You can refer to an important time or event, for example when an important decision has to be made, as the ~.
He can rely on my support when the ~ comes...
The Prime Minister is expected to call a ~ meeting on Monday.
N-SING: usu the N, oft N n
•
If you say that something will happen if or when it comes to the ~, you mean that it will happen if or when the time comes when something has to be done.
If it comes to the ~, I’ll resign over this.
PHRASE: V inflects
5.
To ~ numbers means to do a lot of calculations using a calculator or computer.
I pored over the books with great enthusiasm, often ~ing the numbers until 1:00 a.m.
VERB: V n
6.
A situation in which a business or economy has very little money can be referred to as a ~. (BUSINESS)
...a financial ~ that could threaten the company’s future.
= crisis
N-COUNT: usu supp N