CRACKING UP Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

cracking up

verb

present participle of crack up

as in applauding

to declare enthusiastic approval of that sports car isn't all it's cracked up to be

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in crying up

to praise or publicize lavishly and often excessively the movie is being cracked up as the blockbuster of the summer

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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

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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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracking up

Verb

But the design quickly sparked backlash and support online, with some applauding the farm's call for civil discourse and others questioning why Kirk was chosen as the face of one of the attraction's biggest annual draws.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Chelsea supporters at Craven Cottage responded by applauding Fernandez and singing his name.

— Liam Twomey, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of applauding

Verb

In a major effort over last weekend, the OpenAI team apparently used an internal model to take the result further, blowing up the full Navier-Stokes equations, according to Buckmaster.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026
Your originality can solve the tension without blowing up the plan.

— Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of blowing up

Verb

Camp’s turn here as a kooky neighbor who stumbles into an unexpected romance is exactly the kind of role that gets a room talking (and laughing).

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026
The South wasn't in a laughing mood after the Civil War, so silent film star and comedian Buster Keaton went west.

— Brian Bull, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of laughing

Verb

Carlson praising a member of the Democratic Party is more threatening to Vance than Carlson praising an apologist for the National Socialist German Workers’ Party.

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
The video of the confrontation has drawn more than 64,000 likes, with many commenters praising Opperman as a small-town hero.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of praising

Verb

Under the new system, one voice from a non-selector will introduce each candidate by simply announcing his name and sharing his resume.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Her sister Erin created a GoFundMe page announcing that she was hospitalized with severe pneumonia and a bacterial infection in her blood.

— Isabelle Farina, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of announcing

Verb

People rush to work, hailing matatus along the roadside as vendors set up for the day.

— Michael Kaloki, NPR, 8 Sep. 2026
In July, California’s Public Utilities Commission approved new incentives of up to $20,300 for ride-hailing app drivers to buy or lease new zero-emission vehicles, and often now, ride hailers can choose to be picked up by an EV on the apps.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of hailing

Browse Nearby Words

cracking (on)

cracking up

cracking wise

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“Cracking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracking%20up. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of cracking up

verb

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