crunch
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Also seen as: cronch
Meaning · English
To calculate or otherwise process (e.g. to crunch numbers: to perform mathematical calculations). Presumably from the sound made by mechanical calculators.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
That metadata makes it much easier for the search engine to crunch the data for queries.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “crunch” mean?
To calculate or otherwise process (e.g. to crunch numbers: to perform mathematical calculations). Presumably from the sound made by mechanical calculators.
Is “crunch” formal or informal?
crunch is generally slang.