Meaning & use
numbers to crunch
Last updated
Meanings
phrasepluralinformal
A lot of numerical data that must be carefully calculated or analyzed, often in business or research.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun phrase; it usually follows 'have' or 'there are'.
Patterns
- have numbers to crunch
- there are numbers to crunch
- numbers to crunch on
Before the meeting, I have a pile of numbers to crunch from last quarter's sales.
The research team stayed late because there were still numbers to crunch for the final report.
She enjoys the numbers to crunch more than the writing part of the job.
phrasesingularinformal
The task or process of doing detailed numerical analysis, especially when it is tedious or time-consuming.
Grammar: Often used after 'the' to refer to the work itself, not the data.
Patterns
- the numbers to crunch
- do the numbers to crunch
- time for numbers to crunch
After the audit, the numbers to crunch took three full days.
He is good at the numbers to crunch but not at presenting them.
We need someone who can handle the numbers to crunch quickly.
Common combinations
- have numbers to crunch
- I can't join you for lunch; I have numbers to crunch before the deadline.
- a lot of numbers to crunch
- There are a lot of numbers to crunch in this budget proposal.
- numbers to crunch on
- The analysts have plenty of numbers to crunch on before the merger.
- time to crunch numbers
- It's time to crunch numbers and see if the project is profitable.
- crunch the numbers
- She crunched the numbers and found a way to save money.
Synonyms and how they differ
- data analysis
- More formal and general; it can involve non-numerical data, while 'numbers to crunch' specifically suggests arithmetic or statistical work.
- calculations
- Focuses on the mathematical operations themselves, not the volume of data or the effort involved.
- figures
- Refers to the numerical values themselves, not the task of processing them.
Word family
- crunch numbers phrase
- The verb phrase meaning to perform numerical analysis.
- number cruncher noun
- A person or machine that does a lot of numerical calculation.
Commonly confused: numbers to crunch or crunch time? numbers to crunch or number crunching?
numbers to crunch vs crunch time
Means a critical period when a lot of work must be done, not the numerical data itself.
numbers to crunch vs number crunching
The activity or process of doing calculations; 'numbers to crunch' refers to the data waiting to be processed.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'numbers to crunch' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is 'numbers to crunch' with the infinitive 'to crunch'; 'to crunching' is ungrammatical, 'crunch' without 'to' is wrong, and 'on the meeting' should be 'before the meeting' or 'for the meeting'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “numbers to crunch”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.