cracked 1 of 2

informal + disparaging

cracked

2 of 2

verb

past tense of crack
1
as in popped
to break suddenly with an explosive sound the tree branch unexpectedly cracked under our weight

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
as in choked
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 deciphered
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

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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 cracked
Adjective
In recent years, several stretches of the aqueduct system have been drained to allow replacement of cracked and bulging sections of century-old concrete. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2023 The urban landscape, with its cracked sidewalks, patchy transit, and the lurking possibility of violence, is a daily challenge. Robert Weisman, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Mar. 2023
Verb
Now, all the eggs are gently cracked and the insides are still intact. Cody Godwin, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025 The fire’s heat cracked some of the windows on the steepled, brick and wood-paneled house of worship. Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cracked
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracked
Adjective
  • Can decades of quotidian contentment really hold a candle to the mad blush of first love?
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Poetry walks with me each step of my mad thinking.
    Rickey Laurentiis, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The second Emma Heming Willis popped up on the Zoom screen, a wave of grief washed over me.
    David Oliver, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The loud, colorful Northern Thai restaurant has always been a celeb magnet—Guillermo del Toro, Shawn Mendes, Jacob Elordi, James Harden and Simu Liu have all popped by in recent years.
    Kate Dingwall, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • De’Andre Johnson ambushed and choked the agent in a DCS office, livestreaming the attack on Facebook.
    Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Court documents now identify him as the victim of a brutal assault during which he was bound by a bedsheet, choked and beaten.
    Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Those sent on the trip filmed and recorded their upcoming opponents' signs, which Stalions then deciphered.
    Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Metabolism has grown into one of the biggest buzzwords in the wellness industry — a tricky code that, if deciphered, is believed to unlock the secrets of weight loss and overall health.
    Lauren Kim, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In the suburbs during the 2020 and 2022 assessment cycles, appeals to the board of review generally knocked commercial values below industry standards for accuracy.
    A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The boys knocked on Leon’s door several times and ran away, Julián’s cousin told police.
    Holly Yan, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • That’s easily solved by cranking the brightness level to (or near) the maximum, but doing so will eat into your battery life, to some degree.
    Matthew Buzzi, PC Magazine, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The gig work humor and tech-bro satire appear to punch up at unfettered capitalism but actually punch down at the millions of workers whose problems won’t be solved by the end of the 98-minute running time.
    Beandrea July, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Daskalakis was disturbed by Kennedy’s comments that chickens that survive H5N1 bird flu are genetically superior and that the stronger children who get measles will survive.
    Judy Stone, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • On another job in an extravagant mansion, he’s disturbed by a loud noise upstairs.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Brown's attorneys had said Brown could at times appear psychotic.
    Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Psychologists and psychiatrists are scrambling to better understand how use of chatbots can fuel delusions and drive psychotic episodes.
    Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Cracked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracked. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

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