crises

noun

plural of crisis
as in crossroads
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action the governor responded swiftly and surely to the crisis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crises Latif, a hitman who’s also a father of three and a practicing Muslim, faces compounding crises when his wife dies, leaving him with a newborn who can’t tolerate formula. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026 With a system immune to currency crises, stability was established in Ecuador, and while stability might not be everything, everything is nothing without stability. — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 The outbreak of the Iran war in February set off massive aviation, travel and safety crises. — Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026 If approved, the county would plan to spend those funds on a temporary shelter, substance abuse treatment at an in-house facility, temporary housing, resources to handle mental health care crises and more. — Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2026 Mexico was struggling with debt crises, declining energy revenues, and the related breakdown of the ruling party’s half-century-old corporatist model, which had fostered a centralized, closed economy. — Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026 Who sets the price of oil now Predicting oil prices became a much bigger concern after the oil crises of the 1970s, when sudden price hikes rattled economies around the world. — Brian C. Black, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026 But our city’s approach to mental health crises remains anemic and insufficient, and thousands of people remain without the right response. — Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 Presenhuber added that economic crises and global politics seem continue to dampen her clients’ moods overall—and their spending. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crises
  1. crossroads
  2. emergencies
  3. situations
  4. exigencies
  5. heads
Noun
  • Related Stories The growing muscle that YouTube flexes as the video crossroads of the world was a near-constant subject of conversation.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Critics see a once-lively multiethnic crossroads suffocated by Chinese authoritarianism.
    — David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of crossroads
Noun
  • For nearly four decades, the Cosumnes River College (CRC) fire technology program has helped prepare students for careers in the field, training them to respond to emergencies in both urban and rural areas.
    — Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • An inquiry found that the nursery had no fire alarm or sprinkler system and that the hospital lacked detailed procedures and training for responding to fires and other emergencies.
    — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of emergencies
Noun
  • There’s also reassuring initial bite at the top of the travel, yet the setup doesn’t feel grabby or overly anxious in everyday driving situations.
    — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Some of the film’s situations emerged out of rehearsal improv.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of situations
Noun
  • Potential finalists will be notified via email and will be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, License of Work and Release of Liability/Publicity within three (3) days of date of notification, or a shorter time if required by exigencies, or a runner-up may be selected.
    — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026
  • The exigencies of the Revolution lead to promising more people representation.
    — KEN BURNS, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026
Definition of exigencies
Noun
  • The left, of course, took this completely out of context because most things fly over their heads, and instead viewed it as Sweeney somehow demeaning women's sports.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • What is the probability of getting exactly three heads and three tails?
    — Dana Mackenzie, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of heads

Browse Nearby Words

cris de coeur
crises
crisis
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crises. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All