crack 1 of 3

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

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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

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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

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4
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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

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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

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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
The closest the league has come to cracking the century club in recent years was in 2022, when Game 6 of the Warriors-Celtics tilt averaged 14 million viewers, or just eight spots shy of the cutoff. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 June 2025 Suddenly Flips Two other titles by My Chemical Romance — Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and Life on the Murder Scene — both cracked the top 10 on the vinyl ranking as well. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
Noun
In these marine habitats where sunlight can’t reach, gas escapes through cracks in the seafloor and feeds bacteria that latch on to the spiders’ exoskeletons. Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 21 June 2025 On April 19, 1775, the crack of a musket marked the first official command for colonists to fire upon the red-coated army of Britain’s King George III. Lisa Meyers McClintick, USA Today, 21 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for crack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crack
Verb
  • His shot hit the back of the rim, popped up and dropped in to give the Celtics a 105-102 lead.
    The Athletic NBA Staff, New York Times, 22 June 2025
  • Westchester County has been a hot property market as of late, with several notable homes popping up for sale recently.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 21 June 2025
Verb
  • Officers then spoke to the second victim, who said Bonds slammed them to the floor and choked them as well.
    Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2025
  • Its options are widely considered to include retaliation against U.S. forces in the region as well as choking a major global oil supply route, the Strait of Hormuz.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 2025
Verb
  • In other words, there was too much atmospheric static to decipher information using classical techniques.
    Joanna Thompson, Space.com, 21 June 2025
  • Mortgage professionals have mastered the art of deciphering hidden meanings, changing fears into wisdom and confusion into action.
    Neil Anders, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • But failure rates knocked maybe a percentage point off total yearly returns, in aggregate, and insurance products were available and continually diversifying.
    Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.
    STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • Ever since 2002, when the Iranian nuclear program was revealed to the world, some elements inside the regime have sought to solve the resulting crisis through normalization with the West and integration with the global economy.
    Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 25 June 2025
  • Honor solves this problem by integrating advanced artificial intelligence (AI) directly into its operations.
    Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • If Waldron wasn’t battered, then Phillies starter Zack Wheeler was hardly bothered.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2025
  • While notification bundles were an option before, they were primarily used for messaging, and not all developers bothered.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • Walter talks about developing the character of his protagonist’s son-in-law, whose right-wing politics are one of the causes of the family’s fissure.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 June 2025
  • How that fissure affects DOGE is yet to be seen, but the White House has already requested $45 million in funding for the group’s operations next year, an Office of Management and Budget document shows.
    William Turton, ProPublica, 10 June 2025
Noun
  • In another blow to China’s push to become a regional leader, India on Thursday rejected signing a joint statement facilitated by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization—one such grouping set up by China and Russia to counter U.S. influence.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 27 June 2025
  • The Senate parliamentarian's guidance has delivered several blows to key GOP provisions, including an effort to exclude undocumented immigrants from receiving Medicaid benefits and a plan to lower provider taxes, which states use to help fund their portion of Medicaid costs.
    June 27, CBS News, 27 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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