crack-up

\ ˈkrak-ˌəp

How to pronounce crack-up (audio)

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Definition of crack-up

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : crash, wreck an automobile crack-up

2a : a mental collapse : nervous breakdown his wife's death brought on his crack-up

b : collapse, breakdown

crack up

cracked up; cracking up; cracks up

Definition of crack up (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : praise, tout sense 1 wasn't all that it was cracked up to be

2 : to damage or destroy (a vehicle) by crashing crack up a car

3 : to cause to laugh out loud that joke really cracks him up

intransitive verb

1 : to damage or destroy a vehicle (as by losing control) cracked up on a curve

2 : to laugh out loud

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Examples of crack-up in a Sentence

Verb that sports car isn't all it's cracked up to be the movie is being cracked up as the blockbuster of the summer

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb As Kate McKinnon’s hammy psychic looked Adele’s character in the eye and spoke of a future inexplicably filled with adult coloring books, Adele appeared to be biting her tongue so as to not crack up. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "What Adele Was Doing on Saturday Night Live," 25 Oct. 2020 An extra hour of sunlight isn't all it's cracked up to be. — Channing King, Indianapolis Star, "Get ready to spring forward in time for daylight saving time," 5 Mar. 2020 Jimmy Kimmel’s hosting antics The comedian was his charming and hilarious self while hosting in 2016, cracking up the crowd with his jokes and also bringing some of his own stunts to the stage. — Diana Pearl, PEOPLE.com, "12 Truly Outrageous Moments from Emmy Awards Past," 16 Sep. 2019 During downtime, Daisy May cracked up the crew with a hypochondriacal riff about an unprintable physical sensation in her bowels. — David Segal, New York Times, "Drama Meets Tedium and a British Sitcom is Born," 19 Feb. 2020 SureID replaced Larson as CEO in May 2017, as the business was cracking up. — oregonlive, "After SureID’s collapse, former CEO tries again with new firm Q5id," 14 Jan. 2020 Ever since England and Wales voted in 2016 to leave the European Union, while Scotland and Northern Ireland did the exact opposite, the sides have worried or wondered when the union might crack up over Brexit. — Washington Post, "Boris Johnson sees ‘wonderful adventure’ after Brexit. But Scotland and Northern Ireland brace for a bumpier ride.," 14 Dec. 2019 To crack up the emotions up just a notch weaved in between concert footage, BTS incorporates a scenic story in traditional animation that draws on the original song’s message. — Sara Delgado, Teen Vogue, "BTS and Lauv Released Their “Make It Right” Collaboration," 18 Oct. 2019 An extra hour of sunlight isn't all it's cracked up to be. — Channing King, Indianapolis Star, "Get ready to spring forward in time for daylight saving time," 5 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crack-up.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Crack-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crack-up. Accessed 19 Jan. 2021.

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