1
as in applauding
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 crying 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 laughing
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
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Recent Examples of cracking up
Mark Toothaker, a stallion sales manager for Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, was on the couch cracking up with his wife, Malory, about the whiffed field goal and consequential turnover.
—
Kelly O'Grady, CBS News, 3 May 2026
The dogs were confused, not sure whether to attack or run for cover, and Susan was cracking up.
—Sid Evans, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2026
The camera cut to O’Leary cracking up in the audience.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 11 Jan. 2026
Winner This week's winner left us cracking up with his acting skills.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
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
Later, as the film plays, the crowd bursts intermittently into laughter, cracking up at the clown-car quality of everyone piling into the van for the first time.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
The surprisingly funny duo kept social media fans cracking up, but after about a year, their relationship quietly ended.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 29 Sep. 2025
Kelly O'Grady, CBS News, 3 May 2026
The dogs were confused, not sure whether to attack or run for cover, and Susan was cracking up.
—Sid Evans, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2026
The camera cut to O’Leary cracking up in the audience.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 11 Jan. 2026
Winner This week's winner left us cracking up with his acting skills.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
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
Later, as the film plays, the crowd bursts intermittently into laughter, cracking up at the clown-car quality of everyone piling into the van for the first time.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
The surprisingly funny duo kept social media fans cracking up, but after about a year, their relationship quietly ended.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracking up
Verb
-
Sunday night’s ceremony offered a different message — Broadway is willing to work with Rudin, but applauding him is still a bridge too far.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
8 June 2026
-
The rescue also drew praise on social media, with many users applauding Myron's quick actions and willingness to help a stranger.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Ripley was honored for a heroic effort to halt the advance of North Vietnamese forces by blowing up a crucial bridge in 1972.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
-
Navarrette is blowing up right now.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The photo of Kyle and Amanda leaving the reunion and laughing went viral, which also set off some conspiracies among the very normal fandom of these shows.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
17 June 2026
-
Earlier in the series, Wembanyama drew criticism for a dangerously hard foul on Brunson and was later caught on camera laughing in Mitchell Robinson's direction during a heated moment.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The plan was met with mixed reaction, with some praising Starmer for taking action and others questioning the effectiveness of a blanket ban.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
-
White House communications director Steven Cheung dodged a question about Hokit’s comments at the fight, pivoting to praising the fighter.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The San Francisco 49ers, for whom Smith had a terrific rookie season, issued a statement announcing his passing on Saturday afternoon.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
14 June 2026
-
Hyppolite posted on his personal X account announcing his pledge.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
The two siblings could be seen hilariously giggling during the ceremonial carriage ride from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
12 June 2026
-
After the second ace, Williams was giggling, seemingly in disbelief, at how quickly things had come together in her first match back.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
My group was a largely international lot, hailing from 12 countries—just shy of two-thirds came from the UK and the US—ranging in age from 18 to 89.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
-
Meanwhile, cooling growth in the gig economy is widening a divide within the blue-collar labor market, with the number of ride-hailing drivers, truck drivers, and livestreamers declining, Caixin said.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The shooting happened even after a 311 complaint warned the city a week before the event that social media posts were advertising an unlicensed business’s plans to serve alcohol without a liquor license.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
-
The Athletic has been told that is influenced by strict limits, regulated by the communications services watchdog OFCOM, on how many adverts and how many total minutes of advertising ITV can show.—
Tom Burrows,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cracking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracking%20up. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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