crack up

verb

cracked up; cracking up; cracks up

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

Synonyms of crack up

• praise
• applaud
• hail
• salute

Examples of crack up in a Sentence

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

Paige, known for his tall tales, would crack up other members of the organization. —Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 7 June 2026

Mark Toothaker, a stallion sales manager for Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, was on the couch cracking up with his wife, Malory, about the whiffed field goal and consequential turnover. —Kelly O'Grady, CBS News, 3 May 2026

Wondering if the talk about using eggshells in your garden is all it's cracked up to be? —Lauren David, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2026

Sunny got her famous father to crack up during her cameo on a Brooklyn, New York, taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live! —Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for crack up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

crack-up

1 of 2 noun

ˈkrak-ˌəp

: collision, wreck

crack up

2 of 2 verb

ˈkrak-ˈəp

1

: praise sense 1, tout

it's not all it's cracked up to be

2

: to cause or have a crack-up

crack up a car