cracked up

verb

past tense of crack up
1
as in applauded
to declare enthusiastic approval of that sports car isn't all it's cracked up to be

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in announced
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 laughed
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

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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 cracked up Being at the top of your game and winning on the biggest stages isn’t always all it's cracked up to be. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026 And leftovers aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, especially after multiple days on repeat. — Sheela Prakash, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 July 2026 Wondering if the talk about using eggshells in your garden is all it's cracked up to be? — Lauren David, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2026 Is tofu all it's cracked up to be? — Sam Woodward, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026 Leslie Jones once cracked up everyone at Saturday Night Live, including the top dog of the show. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2025 One room cracked up at a vulgar joke about a woman’s behind, while another went for an outrageous and surreal midfilm montage — but each bit was made genuinely funnier by the dozens of people gasping and wheezing over it. — Robert Rubsam, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025 Original castmembers Richard Kline and Priscilla Barnes also cracked up the crowd, reprising their roles as nurse Teri and lovable lech Larry. — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracked up
  1. applauded
  2. announced
  3. laughed
  4. praised
  5. advertised
  6. giggled
  7. hailed
  8. blew up
Verb
  • Not long ago, a senile American president’s plan to lead democracies in a battle with autocracies was being applauded by post-1989 Atlanticists such as Anne Applebaum and Adam Michnik.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
  • These efforts are to be applauded, but housing affordability issues exist throughout the United States, particularly in nonmetropolitan areas.
    — Monitor Reader, Christian Science Monitor, 28 July 2026
Definition of applauded
Verb
  • Given the extent of the disruption to oil exports from the Middle East since the start of hostilities between Washington and Tehran, most of the hikes announced by OPEC+ since March have had a negligible impact on the physical crude market.
    — Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The project was announced less than 36 hours before the meeting.
    — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of announced
Verb
  • Gonzalez laughed, agreed and the breeze moved through the courtyard right on time.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Perhaps that’s the biggest compliment for UCLA, going from being ignored or laughed at to taking a few jabs over your glowing reviews.
    — Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of laughed
Verb
  • Despite heartbreaking moments, like MJ not remembering him, the movie is praised for its emotional depth, action, and Tom Holland's irreplaceable portrayal, culminating in a bittersweet ending where a handshake offers a glimmer of hope.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • This could leave you feeling confused whether you’re being praised, tested or politely managed.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of praised
Verb
  • SmackDown has advertised faceoffs for its two biggest programs as frenemies CM Punk and Cody Rhodes come face-to-face amid a weekend of miscues on the live event circuit.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Sara Nelson, a Democrat who had advertised her willingness to challenge the harm-reduction consensus, won a seat on the city council the same year and became its president two years later.
    — Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Definition of advertised
Verb
  • The audience giggled nervously as their seats rocked and rolled during the tense chase scene, and whenever the dinosaur went in for an attack, a squirt of water shot out from behind each audience member’s seat.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 19 July 2026
  • The audience of employees lapped up every word, giggled at every dad joke.
    — Claire Stapleton, New Yorker, 18 July 2026
Definition of giggled
Verb
  • An alleged child-abuse drama which cleverly plays with audiences own sense of prejudice, the work is hailed in its native Catalonia as a modern Catalan classic.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 21 July 2026
  • She was hailed as a natural politician, a performer from a young age who had starred in music and theater productions.
    — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of hailed
Verb
  • As their last retreating act, Hussein’s soldiers blew up some 700 Kuwaiti oil wells, painting the sky black with smoke and igniting unchecked fires that burned for 10 months.
    — WUFT News, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026
  • Specifically in New York, a Swedish candy store called Bon Bon blew up and had influencers creating ASMR taste test videos.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026
Definition of blew up

Browse Nearby Words

cracked (on)
cracked up
cracked wise
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Cite this Entry

“Cracked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracked%20up. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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