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
Apple will be there waiting, sitting on a mountain of cash, ready to partner with (or outright acquire) whichever operation cracks the code. Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025 Cherry arrives just in time to hear Isabella crack a joke about her stripper-sounding name. Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
Cutright worried that Devastating was hiring unqualified people, and that Chee’s hands-off approach let things fall through the cracks. Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 12 Sep. 2025 From cracks near its south pole, the moon blasts towering geysers of water vapor, ice and organic molecules into space, which are tantalizing hints of a hidden ocean that could, in theory, be habitable. Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for crack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crack
Verb
  • The loud, colorful Northern Thai restaurant has always been a celeb magnet—Guillermo del Toro, Shawn Mendes, Jacob Elordi, James Harden and Simu Liu have all popped by in recent years.
    Kate Dingwall, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Shares of Oracle surged 26% in Tuesday’s extended trading hours, after the tech old guard reported that multicloud database revenue from Amazon, Google and Microsoft grew at the eye-popping rate of 1,529% in its last quarter, fueled by demand for AI servers.
    Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In the clip, the pair execute the moves to the song’s post-chorus, before a bonnet-wearing Colbert pretends to choke on something, causing Gaga to erupt in laughter.
    Stephen Daw, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Luckily, the police department had recently brought in a CPR specialist who taught officers how to save choking children.
    Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Teams of researchers are trying to use AI to decipher these rumbles.
    Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Researchers from each, plus the United States, were attempting to decipher the challenges presented by opposing either a regime or a decaying democracy.
    Ron Scherf, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Arkansas held a 16-point lead in the second half against Texas Tech, but the Red Raiders rallied to win 85-83 in overtime to secure a trip to the Elite Eight and knock the Razorbacks out of the tournament.
    Michael Harley, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Even 6 inches of swiftly moving water can forcefully knock you off your feet.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The approach is to solve as many things as possible while people are in prison.
    Kristen Edgreen Kaufman, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • This sequel to 2019's Knives Out follows detective Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, who works to solve a murder after a group of frenemies meet on a private Greek island.
    Emy LaCroix, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The women were too busy cooking, crafting, and caring for the family to bother with the stone tools used by men in hunting and building.
    Sarah Durn, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Why ban books, Postman asked, if no one bothers to read them?
    Time, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Wyatt exited and then returned to the project amid creative fissures, including wrangling over the movie’s tone, pacing, and length.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Trump is facing a catch-22 in the face of growing fissures at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and mounting departures of scientists and experts over vaccine policy.
    Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The 1987 stock market crash was a further blow to the small company and an additional strain on its finances.
    Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
  • And the latest in the long line of big-name boxers to come to blows will be Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford who fight against one another on Saturday.
    Ben Morse, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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