1
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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in bang
a loud explosive sound
the tree fell with a sharp crack
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
5
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
a whispered crack made the whole back row start laughing
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in nut
a person of odd or whimsical habits
that conspiracy theorist has been labeled a crack by the ballistics experts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025
Ne-Yo is cracked at Tekken, bro.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025
Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
General pest control and house maintenance to seal cracks and openings will go a long way to keeping the ladybugs out, Hawkins said.
—Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crack
Verb
So women barely crack the top 50 among Fortune 500 Europe businesses.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025
Ne-Yo is cracked at Tekken, bro.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
These are hypothetical cracks in spacetime that many scientists believe may still be out there.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
General pest control and house maintenance to seal cracks and openings will go a long way to keeping the ladybugs out, Hawkins said.
—Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crack
Verb
-
Rachmansky went all-in on what set his company apart, building a B2B model designed to service the growing amount of independent stores that were popping up seemingly overnight.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Even then, the first name that popped up was indeed Kravitz’s.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
During the previous school year, the boy strangled and choked a teacher and pulled up a female classmate’s dress and touched her inappropriately on the school playground, the lawsuit claims.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The figure of Achilles, a warrior who singlehandedly choked a river with dead enemies before taking on the river god himself, provided a model for Alexander the Great and persists in contemporary popular entertainment, political speech, and military culture in celebrations of shock and awe.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Dreams are a concept that humans have been fascinated with deciphering for thousands of years.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Its inscriptions are currently being deciphered.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The contestants then had to compete in a physically taxing challenge that involved pushing a heavy cart along a bumpy path, stacking sand bags, climbing ladders, knocking discs off poles, and then finally knocking down four bamboo targets.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Kelly was fired Sunday, one day after a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M dropped the Tigers to 5-3 and all but knocked them out of the College Football Playoff race.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
An international team of researchers has solved a long-standing puzzle in quantum physics by discovering an elusive quasiparticle, called a polaron, in a unique rare-earth material.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Booking flights can sometimes feel like solving a math problem, especially when different time zones or changes are involved.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That’s what bothers me about it.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The 20-year-old didn’t bother inspecting it further, threw it in the gutter and went on with her day.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The journalist Beth Macy, who in her previous books chronicled the widening fissures in American society by examining the opioid crisis and the aftereffects of globalization, grew up there.—
Alex Kotlowitz,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Once enough cars have sped over these fissures, chunks begin breaking off to create those infamous potholes that pop tires and ruin shocks.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Michael Owens / Getty Images A struggling Chicago Bears defense was dealt another blow Monday with news that defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo tore his Achilles and is going to miss the rest of the season.—
Kevin Fishbain,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The rain came down sideways, the temperature dipped from the 50s to the 40s, and Inter Miami’s playoff hopes took a big blow on Saturday night as Lionel Messi and his teammates lost 2-1 on the road to Nashville SC.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share