crack 1 of 3

Definition of cracknext
1
as in to pop
to break suddenly with an explosive sound the tree branch unexpectedly cracked under our weight

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to choke
to yield to mental or emotional stress after hours of tough questioning the suspect finally cracked and blurted out a confession

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in to decipher
to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language the United States military used the Navajo language as a code during World War II, and the enemy never cracked it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4
5
6
as in to bother
to cause to go insane or as if insane cracked by years in solitary confinement, the prisoner could only maunder incoherently

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

crack

2 of 3

noun

1
as in fissure
an irregular usually narrow break in a surface created by pressure a pebble struck the car's windshield and left a spidery crack in it

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
4
5
6

crack

3 of 3

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crack
Verb
Steven Galanis, Co-Founder and CEO at Cameo, discusses creators, celebrities, cracking the code and the state of the creator economy with Scott Soshnick at Cannes Lions. Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 2 July 2026 The case mirrored Europe’s actions against Windows years earlier when Microsoft was forced to add browser ballot screens to crack Internet Explorer’s dominance. Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
Noun
Rux used to work as a mechanical engineer inspecting roads for cracks that result from use and weathering. Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 29 June 2026 Maintain Leather Shoes And Handbags Moisture can cause leather to shrink, warp, crack, and mildew over time. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for crack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crack
Verb
  • With Yerry De los Santos on the mound in the fourth, Hao-Yu Lee popped a fly ball to short right field.
    James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 30 June 2026
  • Octavia Spencer pops in a summery blouse at the Amiri show during Paris Fashion Week on June 25.
    Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • The campaign has choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, stalling Russia's efforts on the battlefield, Western officials and analysts say, and heaped pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
    ABC News, ABC News, 26 June 2026
  • Remove chokes from artichokes and steam in small amount of water for 15 minutes, adding water to pan as needed.
    Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • In 2023, the Vesuvius Challenge made its first award for deciphering the first letters, and the following year, the project awarded the grand prize of $700,000 for producing the first readable text.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2026
  • On Thursday, the University of Kentucky announced a new $1 million prize to anyone able to decipher a complete scroll, a feat the researchers once considered impossible, by June next year.
    Claudio Lavanga, NBC news, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • Each part looks radically different today than when players first started knocking balls around hundreds of years ago.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 2 July 2026
  • The bench tipped, and the man put out a hand to steady himself, knocking a Hopi headpiece off a ledge.
    Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Reopening the strait – which was fully open before the war – won’t immediately solve either of those problems.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 26 June 2026
  • And even that reduction won’t be enough to solve the problem for the long term.
    Terry Savage, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • For all the chatter about his choices in handbags, Haaland doesn’t seem remotely bothered.
    Teddy Brown, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
  • What bothers me is the foot-dragging, the spinning in circles, the slow degradation of these characters into annoying stereotypes.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • The fissure was visible before the war.
    Clay Chandler, semafor.com, 19 June 2026
  • So, too, does the idea that a soccer coach could close fissures that even the well-meaning among career politicians have failed to seal.
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 18 June 2026
Noun
  • Vingegaard’s victory at the Giro d’Italia in May, allied with Wout Van Aert’s cathartic win at Paris-Roubaix, has delivered two key objectives but the surprise departure of head of racing Grischa Niermann to Lidl-Trek was a blow.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • Hers is a voice that ought to have a lifetime’s staying power, bolstered by a lyrical and musical sensibility that provide everything her instrument needs to deliver a happy succession of knockout blows.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 3 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on crack

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster