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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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
It was featured on her 1962 album Connie Francis Sings Second Hand Love & Other Hits, but didn’t make much of a splash at the time; the record failed to crack the Top 100 on the Billboard Top LPs chart. Rachel Desantis, People.com, 19 May 2025 Mike Schmidt cracked his second home run in the top of the 10th to win it 23-22. Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2025
Noun
Two times was plenty; Gillis doesn’t need a third crack at this. Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025 Kevin Clark reportedly said the wall had a crack where a window was, which detectives believe Patrick’s head landed on. Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for crack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crack
Verb
  • Korn blew up in the late-Nineties heyday of MTV’s Total Request Live, where every day’s fan-vote countdown was a battle between the Britney/Backstreet Boys pop kids and the Korn/Limp Bizkit rock kids.
    Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2025
  • Additional sinkholes have popped up in the time since December’s collapse.
    Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 17 May 2025
Verb
  • That includes allegations that in 2024, Burgin would consistently put his hands on her—scratching, choking her, and slamming her head into a wall.
    Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 19 May 2025
  • The girl, whose family identified her as Lily, was driven to a remote location on the night of May 3, where her ex-boyfriend then assaulted her, choked her and threw her from a moving vehicle, the Star-Telegram previously reported.
    Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 May 2025
Verb
  • Instead of administrators spending countless hours deciphering page after page of information and increasing risk of errors being made, AI agents are powering document capture for a better, more efficient way to work.
    Navaneeth Nair, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
  • In early May, the Vesuvius Challenge announced that contestants Marcel Roth and Micha Nowak, computer scientists at Germany’s University of Würzburg, would receive $60,000 for deciphering the title.
    Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • On Monday, prosecutors showed the jury footage from a 2016 incident at a Los Angeles hotel in which Combs is shown approaching Ventura in a hallway and knocking her to the floor before kicking her and dragging her back into their hotel room.
    Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
  • Amid the fighting, one boy punched another in the face, knocking him to the ground, and then began punching several other children.
    Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 14 May 2025
Verb
  • Instead, Kit and Sam use their knowledge of the animal kingdom to solve problems in different animal communities.
    Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 20 May 2025
  • Already, the technology has shown its capacity to solve complex problems, optimize processes and inform enhanced decision-making.
    Chris Brown, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Or Xander Schauffele, the defending PGA champion who is surely not bothered by the lack of attention on him early this week.
    Brody Miller, New York Times, 15 May 2025
  • That doesn’t mean the implication doesn’t bother him.
    Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • But his return to center stage—or at least his self-invitation to it—is showing the fissures in a party that hasn’t fully decided if Biden is friend or foe, the party elder who stepped aside or the has-been who didn’t know when to exit.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 8 May 2025
  • This case exposes a wide fissure in the foundation.
    Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • The lawyers claim the measure signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis this month has already dealt significant blows to campaigns to expand Medicaid and legalize recreational marijuana in the state.
    Kate Payne, Sun Sentinel, 22 May 2025
  • In the rear of an IndyCar vehicle is a safety device called an attenuator, designed to cushion the blow from a rear impact into the wall.
    Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 22 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

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