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
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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
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Audience reactions from early access screenings have been similar, with moviegoers also applauding the film’s creativity and humor.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Mar. 2026
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The fans ended up applauding their team proudly despite being eliminated; a rare sight for the Camp Nou.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The White Lotus’s Leslie Bibb, whose red-carpet look from Ashi Studio also earned high marks, spent part of the evening laughing with fellow Ryan Murphy acolyte Sarah Paulson.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
2 Mar. 2026
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Everyone was then heard laughing.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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These tips can help parents find the right approach to praising a child's efforts and accomplishments.—
Wayne Parker,
Parents,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Iranian state television, after airing his speech, immediately went back to praising the country’s ongoing attacks across the region.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Aritzia opens location at Kenwood mall after blowing up on TikTok.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
20 Feb. 2026
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After blowing up the friend group, Stephen tells Lucy to leave with him and, certainly not to the surprise of Van Patten or White, Lucy does.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Unexpected seatmates Momsen and Goldberg often nodded together in agreement as power suits and statement furs came down the runway, giggling at times due to Jones' commentary.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
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Think of things that bring you back to the days of making handmade Valentines for your secret crush and giggling with your friends after eating way too much Fun Dip.—
Kylie Petty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Pentagon’s Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability and its Joint All-Domain Command and Control networks run on the same commercial infrastructure that serves banks and ride-hailing apps.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
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Another up for vote would limit the number of riders that taxis and ride-hailing companies could take to, or from, the curb outside the airport’s busiest terminals.—
Jason Henry,
Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Sedena Anti-theft Crossbody Bag This is the kind of bag that blends into a city outfit rather than announcing itself as travel gear.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported officials were close to announcing a successor for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in Israeli strikes at the start of the war.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Something changed, though, because the next morning, Van Lent and Eikenberg entered into a screaming match in Naja’s office for everyone to see.—
Michael Adno,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2026
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In a post on Monday, the rescue said Denali has been screaming in pain and doesn't want to eat or get up.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cracking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracking%20up. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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