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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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 studio had an eight-month shoot for The Beast of Mossy Bottom, cracking out footage at the breakneck pace of nearly two seconds per day. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026 The pair barely crack more than a perfunctory smirk, in stark contrast to the uproarious laughter emanating from Fielder’s laptop screen. — Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
Noun
In an effort to ensure instances of true neglect don’t fall through the cracks, state laws typically use vague language. — Jennifer L. Brinkley, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026 Instead, the moon has a single-plate body meaning its outer shell is a single piece only broken by faults or other such cracks created by the moon contracting. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 19 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
  • To shoppers, the chain disappears, until next September or so, when another store pops up somewhere in the neighborhood.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Many of these 13 tracks have popped up as demos in Jensen’s live shows or NTS sets, cooking down to their essence in plain sight.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of pop
Verb
  • Finally, Europe needs the ability to retaliate when China or the United States threatens to choke it.
    — Claas Mertens, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026
  • But the real culprit is his failing Iran war, which has choked supply from the Middle East.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 19 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
  • Nantz tried to knock the ball from Watt, but hit his wrist hard on the football and immediately grabbed his hand.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But several people who played key roles in knocking the two candidates off the ballot have close ties to the congressman’s political operation.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of knock
Verb
  • Its sales team is trying to solve every problem in front of them with the tool the company sells, and that tool is a language model.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The crows solved the task the same way primates do, using the same mathematical logic despite having a very different brain structure.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of solve
Verb
  • Gee, who used to pop into fraternity parties unannounced to keep tabs on them, said he is not bothered by the reintegration of the three formerly rogue organizations.
    — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • This is a dense picture—there’s almost too much to unpack, if you can be bothered to care about any of it.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of bother
Noun
  • In 1999, Glück imagined a creation story of sorts, describing small worlds that appeared in the fissures of a larger, shattered one.
    — Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The research reveals a fissure between how brand marketers measure the impact of personalization and how consumers experience its value.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of fissure
Noun
  • Just when Kansas City appeared to be building momentum toward a Sunday night comeback, kicker Harrison Butker missed his second attempt of the night, dealing another blow to the Chiefs’ hopes.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Rutgers starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan left after sustaining a blow to the head 6 minutes, 25 seconds into the first quarter and didn’t return.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 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 26 Oct. 2026.

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