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
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
-
In fact, Seydoux was among those in the audience applauding tonight.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
-
Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore and Pawel Pawlikowski could be seen applauding in the audience after the screening.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The next morning, the pair are chatting and laughing.—
Erin Vanderhoof,
Vanity Fair,
12 May 2026
-
Sometimes laughing is better than crying.—
Lexi Lane,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Andrews, 64, revealed he was diagnosed in the fall of 2025, praising the nonprofit ALS Network for creating a sense of community for the couple following his diagnosis.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
-
Andrews has since partnered with the ALS Network, praising the organization for providing him and his fiancée, actress Erica Tazel, with a sense of community.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
About to hit rock bottom, Peter is therefore oblivious to the +44 numbers that are blowing up his phone, until the caller — a British clubber called Edison (the fantastic Kirby Howell-Baptiste) — arrives on his doorstep.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
-
Now, the Swedish flatpack giant believes its long-elusive obsession is, at long last, blowing up.—
Jack Bantock,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Families with mothers in hijabs and giggling children sit alongside the neighborhood’s old guard and young transplants priced out of Brooklyn’s north, all feasting on great wheels of rashoosh (flatbread) and dishevelments of lamb.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
On the chaise side of the sectional, Fiona and Izzy were giggling under a blanket, playing a makeover game on Fiona’s phone.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Driver income has also dropped as Uber and other ride-hailing companies cut into their business.—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
-
The feature will go back to the origin story of the four brothers hailing from a Cairo crime family at the heart of the franchise.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bulletin announcing the arrest of 33-year-old Brandon Tyrell Simmons in connection with a deadly stabbing in Palmdale.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
-
His visits this year have been jam-packed with news, from announcing the capture of Venezuela's then-president Nicolás Maduro and strikes on Iran.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
On the night that everything changed, one of them would end the night screaming, and the other, in my opinion, didn't scream enough.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
-
Dramatic doorbell camera video shows the moment the man ran out of her home, and Cooper can be heard screaming in the background.—
Tara Lynch,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cracking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracking%20up. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
