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
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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
-
He was given a standing ovation and responded by applauding all four sides of the stadium.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The audience responded by applauding.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Members of both chambers seemed to enjoy his 20-minute address, listening intently and laughing at the monarch’s jokes and giving him standing ovations.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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Lucy Liu is spotted laughing on the set of Superfakes in Madison Square Park in New York City on April 27.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The president has surely been pleased that a friendly new Post opinion page has written columns so regularly praising his foreign policy acumen, and supporters of Ukraine may also be grateful.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
4 May 2026
-
Franklin’s post, which included a time lapse of her artistic process, accrued hundreds of comments praising her work as well as the film’s decision to hire a human artist for the project.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
The wires are crossing, the cover stories are blowing up.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
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Kimberly Shaw blowing up the apartment building at the end of season 4 is a core memory for fans.—
Andrea Lavinthal,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Shadows and strange sounds can set imaginations whirring—from the guttural roar of a hunting lion to the giggling calls of a feasting hyena pack.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Apr. 2026
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In a matter of minutes the best of friends go from being giggling buddies to making bitchy remarks, then hurtful revelations, all with little motivation or sense.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Woods, chief market strategist at Freedom Capital Markets, believes that the stock will find strong support around the $70 to $72 level, and investors should buy shares if the ride-hailing service trades in that area.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
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These were selected from 15 feature-length films and 15 shorts hailing from Latin America and Asia.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Mamdani proved that vision applies to Brooklyn too — announcing a long-overdue redesign of Grand Army Plaza.—
Jonathan Timm,
New York Daily News,
3 May 2026
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The airline had declared bankruptcy multiple times and had struggled financially for years, but its president pointed to the higher jet fuel costs in his statement announcing the liquidation.—
Ford McCracken,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Richter’s grand slam Tuesday against Tinley Park ended with plenty of screaming and high-fives at home plate.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Any passengers not knocked out during the chaos or sucked out into the sky are generally screaming and grabbing for oxygen masks while Captain Rich makes a futile announcement about the importance of not panicking.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cracking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracking%20up. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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