1
as in applauding
to declare enthusiastic approval of
that sports car isn't all it's cracked up to be
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 cracking up
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
Apa and Cline are both cracking up now as Apa drops one more bomb.
—EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
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
Apa and Cline are both cracking up now as Apa drops one more bomb.
—EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracking up
Verb
-
Others praised troopers for stepping in to help, applauding authorities for rescuing the vulnerable cub and ensuring it was placed in proper care.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
At 0-2, Nimmo had started applauding and offering loud encouragement from the Rangers dugout.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Friends like Lyle and Danny started laughing at us and edging away, calling Lisa my Yoko.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In the security video, the two officers can be seen laughing and shaking hands with the assailants.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In some cases, parents may even unintentionally reinforce the behavior by praising physical changes without understanding how they were achieved.—
Grace Baek,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The rapper previously shared rhetoric widely deemed as antisemitic on social media, used a 2025 Super Bowl ad to redirect viewers to a website selling a $20 swastika T-shirt, and dropped a song praising Adolf Hitler.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
What about destroying the stockpile by blowing up the canisters?—
Sheena Samu,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Since the early days of the pandemic — which is when many Stationerycore fans and creators at the festival date their stationery awakening — the stationery industry has been steadily expanding, even blowing up.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On the two days that THR spent on set last summer, the young cast could regularly be heard giggling in between takes.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Rohan chatted with the women while the children darted around, sneaking looks at us and giggling.—
Elizabeth Cantrell,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jenkins said Lazo's crimes led ride-hailing companies to change their practices to increase rider safety.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The vehicles are operated by Apollo Go, an autonomous ride-hailing service run by Chinese tech company Baidu.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Chawaa - that's Big Chief Demond Melancon of the Young Seminole Hunters announcing his arrival.—
Nichole Marks,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The fire forced evacuations and closures, with Moreno Valley College announcing it would be closed Friday and Saturday, canceling all events on its main campus.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Linebacker Oh, linebacker, a position screaming out for help and coming away with nothing, much like most Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight tackle attempts in the first half of last season.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In the video, recorded by Mortensen on his cellphone, Paul can be seen screaming and throwing metal chairs, one of which struck one of her children who witnessed the altercation, according to the criminal indictment.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cracking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracking%20up. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
