crack 1 of 3

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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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

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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

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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
Plastic trays are the least expensive but are also prone to cracking and absorbing odors. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 19 June 2026 But those, too, have shifted, cracked and broken. Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
Noun
When asked if the Fire Department had any concerns about the information slipping through the cracks, Hopkins said the fire department did its duty. Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026 Journalists on the ground observed deep cracks in residential towers, collapsed walls and entire structures reduced to rubble. Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for crack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crack
Verb
  • The Guardians loaded the bases with two outs in the inning but Burke induced Brayan Rocchio to pop out.
    CBS News, CBS News, 24 June 2026
  • Informal Beyblade battles are popping up in strangest of places, with players huddling in parks, gyms and shopping malls.
    Chris Lau, CNN Money, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • Police say after entering the store, Tabor allegedly randomly picked out a woman and started choking her.
    Joy Benedict, CBS News, 19 June 2026
  • Connecticut’s largest cities also struggle with the state’s highest property tax rates, which chokes business growth and, in turn, shifts more burden onto residential owners.
    Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • One of the most exciting uses of AI has to be helping historians and archaeologists decipher previously indecipherable or untranslatable ancient texts.
    Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 23 June 2026
  • As the inscription had been damaged, researchers couldn’t decipher whether this tablet had cursed four slaves or whether four slaves had cried out to the Egyptian gods and demi-heroes, who knows?
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026
Verb
  • Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani leads the NL in votes received, which would give him the automatic starting spot at DH should that lead hold into Thursday, knocking Schmitt out of contention.
    Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 23 June 2026
  • Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.
    STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • Reopening the strait – which was fully open before the war – won’t immediately solve either of those problems.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 26 June 2026
  • And even that reduction won’t be enough to solve the problem for the long term.
    Terry Savage, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • Oh, and more often than not, nobody bothers to check whether the change intervention actually worked, or whether leaders improve their performance after all!
    Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
  • The chest pain that had been bothering her finally let up.
    Tyler Quattrin, Twin Cities, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • The fissure was visible before the war.
    Clay Chandler, semafor.com, 19 June 2026
  • So, too, does the idea that a soccer coach could close fissures that even the well-meaning among career politicians have failed to seal.
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 18 June 2026
Noun
  • Emotionally, militarily, even symbolically, this is a devastating blow to the Black Queen and her cause.
    Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 22 June 2026
  • When Lucerys refuses, Aemond chases Lucerys on his dragon, seemingly meaning to injure him rather than kill him, but his dragon, Vhagar, delivers a fatal blow to Rhaenyra’s son.
    Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Crack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.

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