1
as in breakdown
a mental or nervous collapse
a crack-up required him to take a year off from work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in collision
the violent coming together of two bodies into destructive contact
two people were injured in a serious crack-up on the interstate
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to praise
to declare enthusiastic approval of
that sports car isn't all it's cracked up to be
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to blow up
to praise or publicize lavishly and often excessively
the movie is being cracked up as the blockbuster of the summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to laugh
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound
try not to crack up at your own punch lines—it's funnier if you keep a straight face
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-up
Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 18 Sep. 2024
And all the better to make his crack-up that much more disorienting and unsettling.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2023
Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
The woods may be overrun, this year, with cabins in the woods capable of cracking up couples by laying all their faults bare.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crack-up
Noun
The prevailing explanation for the Ordovician Impact Spike had long been that a large body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter broke up as a result of a collision and the debris from that crack-up eventually found its way to Earth.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 18 Sep. 2024
And all the better to make his crack-up that much more disorienting and unsettling.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2023
Verb
Kathy — who has earned an enormous fan base thanks to her honesty and lack of pretense on the Bravo reality series — had the crowd at the Caesars Forum convention center cracking up from the moment the panel began.
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
The woods may be overrun, this year, with cabins in the woods capable of cracking up couples by laying all their faults bare.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crack-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crack-up
Noun
-
Three breakdowns appear repeatedly.—
Katerin Le Folcalvez,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Boston led late in the first half, but Denver capitalized on a rebounding breakdown to pull even.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Conversely, collision coverage helps when your own car is damaged in a crash, whereas medical coverage helps cover treatment costs following an accident.—
Ethan M. Stone,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Neither alcohol nor drugs were determined to be factors in the collision.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
During Glaser's interview with Stern, the shock jock praised her for mocking CBS News despite the Golden Globes airing on CBS.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Jackson also praised his son’s skills as a father in a 2022 interview with Tru Rock Revival.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Perez killed the bill last year as part of the budget blow up.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
10 Jan. 2026
-
In such a case, any adjustment to that initial arrangement, no matter how small, would prevent the fluid from blowing up.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Scott Adams, who kept cubicle denizens laughing for more than three decades with Dilbert, the bitingly funny comic strip that poked fun at the absurdity of corporate life, before racist remarks got him pink-slipped, died Tuesday.—
Chris Koseluk,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Snoop Dogg called out as the audience laughed.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Investigators have pinpointed the exact part that failed in the fiery Louisville crash of a UPS cargo flight in November, killing 15 in all.—
Pete Muntean,
CNN Money,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Craig Gutierrez applauded the attorney general’s efforts.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoma Watch,
13 Jan. 2026
-
His decision has been applauded by some of his fellow GOP members.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And the Wave For 2 is currently advertised for a sale price of US$139,950 from Sunshine State RVs, a dealership that's on hand at the Florida RV Supershow debut.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Google Cloud is advertising its own event aimed at helping Chinese firms expand globally, with a rare building-sized poster on the facade of a hotel overlooking downtown Beijing’s main thoroughfare.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crack-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack-up. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
