crises

Noun

crisis (plural crises)

1. A crucial or decisive point or situation; a turning point.
2. An unstable situation, in political, social, economic or military affairs, especially one involving an impending abrupt change.
   • The financial crisis could have been avoided and was the result of poor decision making both in Washington and at top financial firms that fostered a culture of excessive risk taking, according to a draft report written by Democrats on a panel that investigated the meltdown and obtained by Reuters.2011 January 25, Dave Clarke, “Panel says financial crisis avoidable”, in Reuters, archived from the original on 22 Jul 2025
3. A sudden change in the course of a disease, usually at which point the patient is expected to either recover or die.
4. A traumatic or stressful change in a person's life.
   • I'm having a major crisis trying to wallpaper the living room.
5. A point in a drama at which a conflict reaches a peak before being resolved.
6. (euphemistic) Orgasm
   • Connie found it impossible to come to her crisis before he had really finished his.1929, D.H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover