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
Somebody is winning, somebody is losing, and every move becomes another reason to ask whether the market is about to crack. — Garth Friesen, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026 Once Tarik Skubal is traded to the Dodgers, teams are going to scramble for possible postseason starters, and Ray would be one of the few remaining with a chance to crack a postseason rotation’s top three. — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Noun
Kelly makes frequent cracks about the astonishing sequence of events that landed him in his current peacocking profession. — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026 Seal up any cracks and gaps around windows and doors with caulk or weather stripping. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 20 July 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
  • Julian Alvarez provides bustling energy and quality up top, Enzo Fernandez has popped up with crucial late goals, and Emi Martinez is a confident presence between the posts.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Then, around five years ago, a strange phenomenon started to pop up, as stars stepped out on red carpets in glammed-up versions of their characters’ onscreen looks.
    — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Definition of pop
Verb
  • Cotton is one of more than 100 million people across the Midwest, Northeast and mid-Atlantic breathing in dangerous air brought by thick, choking plumes of smoke from wildfires in Canada.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The trend, which was popular on TikTok at the time, involves intentionally choking oneself or holding one’s breath until passing out.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Definition of choke
Verb
  • Jonestown afflicted Naipaul’s vision, his way of deciphering not just political manias but the dreariness of urban life, the perpetual doom of the nuclear-arms race.
    — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026
  • Angela George The recount board is sticking around after business hours for now to tabulate ballots that needed to be duplicated after the voting machine could not read or decipher the ballot.
    — Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 8 July 2026
Definition of decipher
Verb
  • The person knocked on the door and was let in by Chavez, and the video recording device was disconnected about 10 minutes later, investigators have said.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026
  • Thekla then strikes Nightingale with the microphone and attempts to hit her with the championship belt, but Nightingale knocks her away.
    — Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of knock
Verb
  • Privacy concerns The EU’s new mandate also highlights critical questions over privacy in the AI era — and the challenges tech companies and regulators face in solving them.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
  • Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, a former right back who played alongside Messi in the 2006 World Cup, solved that problem by moving Messi to right wing, tweaking formations and pulling from a bench superior to England’s.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2026
Definition of solve
Verb
  • And Zendaya not looking especially Greek doesn’t bother Shapiro in the least.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 20 July 2026
  • That clause has governed American creativity for more than two centuries on an assumption so obvious nobody bothered to write it down.
    — Charles Lew, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of bother
Noun
  • While effective in winning the war, the new government faced social and political fissures in the postwar period.
    — Donovan Fifield, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
  • Diggins’ absence from the court and the Sky’s ongoing lack of success seemed to set the table for an early fissure midway through the first season of her two-way deal.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
Definition of fissure
Noun
  • Iran has been degraded by over 13,000 strikes, but has survived and reconstituted, rather than suffering a mortal blow.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • The woman, 41-year-old Ja’Marlette Hardy, bit one of the officers during the July 1 encounter, which led to the officer delivering a blow to her head.
    — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 17 July 2026
Definition of blow

Phrases Containing crack

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crack
crackbrain
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Cite this Entry

“Crack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on crack

Nglish: Translation of crack for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about crack

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