crack

1 of 3

verb

cracked; cracking; cracks

intransitive verb

1
: to make a very sharp explosive sound
The whip cracks through the air.
2
: to break, split, or snap apart
The statue cracked when she dropped it.
3
: fail: such as
a
: to lose control or effectiveness under pressure
often used with up
The stress was so great that she started to crack up.
b
: to fail in tone
His voice cracked.
4
: to go or travel at good speed
usually used with on
The steamboat cracked on.

transitive verb

1
a
: to break so that fissures appear on the surface
crack a mirror
b
: to break with a sudden sharp sound
crack nuts
2
: to tell especially suddenly or strikingly
crack a joke
3
: to strike with a sharp noise : rap
then cracks him over the head
cracked a two-run homer in the eighth
4
a(1)
: to open (something, such as a bottle) for drinking
(2)
: to open (a book) for studying
b
: to puzzle out and expose, solve, or reveal the mystery of
crack a code
c
: to break into
crack a safe
d
: to open slightly
crack the throttle
e
: to break through (something, such as a barrier) so as to gain acceptance or recognition
… on track to crack Hollywood after landing a big screen role.Ed Gleave and Peter Dyke
f
: to show or begin showing (a smile) especially reluctantly or uncharacteristically
5
a
: to impair seriously or irreparably : wreck
crack an opponent's courage
b
: to destroy the tone of (a voice)
c
: disorder, craze
Worry had cracked his otherwise cheerful disposition.
d
: to interrupt sharply or abruptly
The criticism cracked our complacency.
6
: to cause to make a sharp noise
cracks his knuckles
7
a(1)
: to subject (hydrocarbons) to cracking
(2)
: to produce by cracking
cracked gasoline
b
: to break up (chemical compounds) into simpler compounds by means of heat

crack

2 of 3

noun

1
a
: a loud roll or peal
a crack of thunder
b
: a sudden sharp noise
the crack of rifle fire
2
: a sharp witty remark : quip
3
a
: a narrow break : fissure
a crack in the ice
b
: a narrow opening
Leave the door open a crack.
cracks between floorboards
used figuratively in phrases like fall through the cracks to describe one that has been improperly or inadvertently ignored or left out
a player who fell through the cracks in the college draft
Children slipping through the cracks of available youth services.
4
a
: a weakness or flaw caused by decay, age, or deficiency : unsoundness
b
: a broken tone of the voice
c
5
: moment, instant
the crack of dawn
6
7
: a sharp resounding blow
gave him a crack on the head
8
: an attempt or opportunity to do something
her first crack at writing a novel
got first crack at the job opening
9
or crack cocaine : a potent form of cocaine that is obtained by treating the hydrochloride of cocaine with sodium bicarbonate to create small chips used illicitly for smoking

crack

3 of 3

adjective

: of superior excellence or ability
a crack marksman
Phrases
crack the whip
: to adopt or apply an authoritative, tyrannical, or threatening approach or policy (as in demanding harder work from employees)
The team needs a coach who isn't afraid to crack the whip.
crack wise
: to make a wisecrack
The comedian often cracked wise about prominent politicians.

Examples of crack in a Sentence

Verb The hailstones were big enough to crack some windows. He cracked his collarbone in a skiing accident. The mirror cracked when she dropped it. Workers cracked the large rock into three pieces so it could be moved. The bird cracked the seed on a tree branch. a tool used for cracking nuts He cracked open the eggs. Someone cracked him over the head with a beer bottle. The baby cracked her chin pretty hard when she fell. He fell and cracked his elbow on the ice. Noun The crack runs all the way from the top of the wall to the bottom. an old patio with grass growing up through the cracks The vase has a few fine cracks, but it is still usable. I could see them through the crack in the doorway. Light came through the cracks in the walls of the barn. Adjective The company has a crack sales force. known as one of the college's crack tennis players
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Wood will eventually crack if placed in a sunny location without a protective stain. Samantha S. Thorpe, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2024 The new alternative would use plastics from waste treated with oil and would limit cracking in concrete and weigh less. The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 The Trojans cracked the top five in the Associated Press rankings for the first time since 1994. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 The collision cracked Ray’s ribs and briefly knocked her unconscious. Stephen Hobbs, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 Foster said Drexel Mack was part of a small department within the court — a staff of about 15 execution officers and seven clerical staff members — where coworkers were also feeling the pain of his sudden loss. ‘Always cracking jokes’ Hill also remembers that Drexel Mack was a big gamer. Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024 But electric vehicles sales haven't cracked 10% of new-vehicle sales yet. Detroit Free Press, 1 Mar. 2024 Using an electromagnetic scanner fine enough to discern signals from different parts of an IC, the Texas and Intel team was unable to crack the key in their test chip, even after 40 million attempts. IEEE Spectrum, 28 Feb. 2024 There are two key areas in AI use cases in this area that Bio-Phy and other leading AI innovative bio-tech companies that are determined to crack this big problem, including: AtomWise, BioVia, Cradle, DNANexus, exScientia, Iktos to name a few. Cindy Gordon, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
With all the legal drama surrounding Elon Musk and OpenAI these past few days, an important AI headline has fallen through the cracks. Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 In volcanic regions, cinnabar forms from a union of mercury and sulfur when near-boiling fluids flow through rock cracks. Bridget Alex, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 Thankfully, the crack didn’t affect the stovetop’s interactive elements. Katrina Cossey, Parents, 1 Mar. 2024 The crack resulted in the loudest laughs of the trial to date. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024 Noticed the crack one morning after taking it out of the Apple travel case. Jody Serrano / Gizmodo, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024 Even the worst Monday can only last 24 hours and good news always pushes up through the cracks of the bad. Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Smaller films and shows that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks of award or audience attention get a bit of that golden glow for themselves. EW.com, 25 Feb. 2024 That said, Engadget reports that the same crack has occurred on its review unit. Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 24 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crack.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb, Noun, and Adjective

Middle English crakken, from Old English cracian; akin to Old High German chrahhōn to resound

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1793, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crack was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near crack

Cite this Entry

“Crack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crack. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crack

1 of 3 verb
1
a
: to break or cause to break with a sudden sharp sound : snap
b
: to make or cause to make such a sound
crack a whip
2
: to break with or without complete separation of parts
the ice cracked in several places
3
: to tell especially in a clever or witty way
crack jokes
4
a
: to lose control under pressure
often used with up
b
: to fail in tone
her voice cracked
c
: to give or receive a sharp blow
cracked my head
5
a
: to puzzle out : solve
crack a code
b
: to break into or through
crack a safe
crack the sound barrier
6
a
: to put hydrocarbons through cracking
crack petroleum
b
: to produce by cracking
cracked gasoline

crack

2 of 3 noun
1
: a sudden sharp noise
2
: a sharp witty remark : quip
3
: a narrow break or opening
a crack in the glass
open the window a crack
4
b
: a broken tone of the voice
5
: the beginning moment
the crack of dawn
6
: a sharp resounding blow
7
: try entry 2
take a crack at it
8
: highly purified cocaine in small chips used illegally usually for smoking

crack

3 of 3 adjective
: of high quality or ability
crack troops

Medical Definition

crack

noun
often attributive
: a potent form of cocaine that is obtained by treating the hydrochloride of cocaine with sodium bicarbonate to create small chips used illicitly usually for smoking

More from Merriam-Webster on crack

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