crack 1 of 3

verb

ˈkrak How to pronounce crack (audio)
Definition of cracknext
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
as in to knock
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner cracked the bow of the ship with a champagne bottle

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5
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning I've been mulling this riddle, but I just can't crack it

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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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2
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument a disciplinary crack on the hand with a ruler was once common in schoolrooms

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3
as in bang
a loud explosive sound the tree fell with a sharp crack

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4
as in attempt
an effort to do or accomplish something this is my first crack at painting

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5
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter a whispered crack made the whole back row start laughing

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6
as in nut
a person of odd or whimsical habits that conspiracy theorist has been labeled a crack by the ballistics experts

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

crack

3 of 3

adjective

as in skilled
having or showing exceptional knowledge, experience, or skill in a field of endeavor known as one of the college's crack tennis players

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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 bigger concern is a shortcut that cracks an entire family of mathematical problems at once, and with it every system built on them. — Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2026 The palm was still there, cracked in its roots, leaning at a crazy angle, its top awry. — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
The diesel crack spread (what refiners earn turning crude into diesel) climbed from about $25 a barrel in January to a peak above $110 in September. — Todd Gordon, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026 The large crack in the cliffside beneath Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach. — Michele Gile, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for crack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crack
  1. pop
  2. choke
  3. decipher
  4. knock
  5. solve
  6. bother
  7. fissure
  8. blow
Verb
  • The $11 million spread is listed with Wade Weathers and Meg Kauffman at LandVest Christie’s International Real Estate and has come to market shortly after Vermont’s most expensive home popped up for sale.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Kyle Tucker popped up to center, and Teoscar Hernandez struck out on a ball off the plate by about two and a half feet.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pop
Verb
  • On top of store closures and unsold inventory, the company was choking on enormous debt from a private equity buyout in 2014.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • DeShantz is also accused of choking the woman and throwing her to the ground outside of his home in the city's Allentown neighborhood.
    — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of choke
Verb
  • Bahdanau was working with artificial neural networks, which had already shown promise in pattern-recognition tasks such as deciphering handwriting and identifying objects in photos.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In addition to developing better medicines or perfumes, deciphering the mirror images of molecules can help scientists understand the chemical architecture of life, said chemist Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the journal Science.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of decipher
Verb
  • That news knocked about 5% off its shares on July 27 and sent the cost of insuring its debt sharply higher.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Last season, the Seahawks ended San Francisco's year and knocked them out of the playoffs.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of knock
Verb
  • Separate nozzles also don't solve the problems of bonding incompatible materials or managing different printing temperatures.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Throw in a third massive object, though, and the math gets ridiculously more complicated and difficult to solve.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of solve
Verb
  • Palo Alto Networks did that after buying [Israeli startup] CyberArk, but why would most companies bother?
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • That woman was truly unbothered, a term tossed around online, but the literal act of not being bothered is impossible for most people beyond the quirkiest, like my onetime neighbor, or maybe Fran Lebowitz.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of bother
Noun
  • In the show, the crew encounters a white hole spewing time and space into the universe, and the only way to close it is for Lister to play space pool, sinking a planet into the interdimensional fissure via an over-elaborate trick shot.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Once moored, a boardwalk leads through old-growth forest to the fault itself, where ocean water is drawn in, heated up high and released through fissures in the rock.
    — Adrienne Matei, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of fissure
Noun
  • Now, in yet another blow to national self-esteem, the ex-head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the BND, has been arrested on charges of exploiting state secrets.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The only places doing any business were the coffee shops, and building-supply houses where customers were buying nails and sheeting to batten down against the blow.
    — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of blow

Phrases Containing crack

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crabwise
crack
crackbrain
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Cite this Entry

“Crack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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