Definition of “crisis” - English Dictionary

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“crisis” in English

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crisisnoun

uk ​ /ˈkraɪ.sɪs/ us ​ /ˈkraɪ.sɪs/ plural crises uk ​ /-siːz/ us ​

B2 [ C or U ] a time of great disagreement, confusion, or suffering:

The country's leadership is in crisis.
an economic/financial crisis
We have a family crisis on my hands - my 16-year-old sister is pregnant.

› [ C ] an extremely difficult or dangerous point in a situation:

crisis talks
A mediator has been called in to resolve the crisis.

› [ C ] US also crisis point a moment during a serious illness when there is the possibility of suddenly getting either better or worse:

He's passed the crisis - the fever's started to go down.
a crisis of confidence

› a sudden loss of confidence:

With inflation at 500 percent, the country faces a crisis of confidence.

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

(Definition of “crisis” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“crisis” in American English

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crisisnoun [ C/U ]

us ​ /ˈkrɑɪ·sɪs/ plural crises /ˈkrɑɪ·siz/

› an extremely dangerous or difficult situation:

[ C ] an economic crisis
[ U ] People react in times of crisis, but ignore us the rest of the time.

(Definition of “crisis” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“crisis” in Business English

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crisisnoun [ C or U ]

uk ​ /ˈkraɪsɪs/ us ​ plural crises /ˈkraɪsiːz/

› a situation that is extremely difficult or dangerous, when there are many problems:

a major/serious/global crisis
an economic/financial/political crisis
a looming/impending/growing crisis This matter needs to be discussed, in the light of the looming pensions crisis.
cause/create a crisis The ban, fortunately, did not create a crisis in the dairy industry.
face a crisis The industry is facing a serious staffing crisis.
a crisis arises/occurs/deepens This article examines how the debt crisis arose,
address/resolve/solve a crisis A mediator has been called in to resolve the crisis.
The country's leadership is in crisis.
crisis of confidence

› a situation when people become less confident and start to worry:

The company's poor trading figures provoked a crisis of confidence on the stock markets.

(Definition of “crisis” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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