CRACKS Synonyms: 406 Similar and Opposite Words

cracks 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of crack

as in pops

to break suddenly with an explosive sound the tree branch unexpectedly cracked under our weight

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as in chokes

to yield to mental or emotional stress after hours of tough questioning the suspect finally cracked and blurted out a confession

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as in deciphers

to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language the United States military used the Navajo language as a code during World War II, and the enemy never cracked it

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as in knocks

to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner cracked the bow of the ship with a champagne bottle

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as in solves

to find an answer for through reasoning I've been mulling this riddle, but I just can't crack it

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as in crazes

to cause to go insane or as if insane cracked by years in solitary confinement, the prisoner could only maunder incoherently

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cracks

2 of 2

noun

plural of crack

as in fissures

an irregular usually narrow break in a surface created by pressure a pebble struck the car's windshield and left a spidery crack in it

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as in blows

a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument a disciplinary crack on the hand with a ruler was once common in schoolrooms

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as in claps

a loud explosive sound the tree fell with a sharp crack

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as in attempts

an effort to do or accomplish something this is my first crack at painting

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as in jokes

something said or done to cause laughter a whispered crack made the whole back row start laughing

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as in eccentrics

a person of odd or whimsical habits that conspiracy theorist has been labeled a crack by the ballistics experts

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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 cracks

Verb

And Guy Pearce cracks it as the Aussie who beat the Brits at their own game of publishing. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2026 When Pennywise cracks a joke, the contrast of his antics with the scary stuff can be more impactful, have more personality, than just scare after scare. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026 Anyone who cracks your unlock code can get into nearly every app, from banking to social media and even your email—the keys to the kingdom. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Pre-fall closes the chapter on summer but cracks one open to fall. — Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026 Jessica transforms the betrayal of a generation taught that work would protect them into visceral cinema, where illness cracks the skin while luxury masks collapse. — Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026 When that belief cracks, the line stops being a signal and starts being a complaint. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 31 July 2026 Nobody cracks 60 points, even though this was early in the cap era when scoring was up. — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 30 July 2026 Holmes deduces that each pose represents a letter and cracks the code by matching the most common poses with the most common letters. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 1 July 2026

Noun

When a team’s roster is inferior, cracks in the managerial mettle tend to be more noticeable. — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Built by aerospace contractor Lockheed Martin, X-59 is designed to not only break the sound barrier by surpassing Mach-1 speeds, but to do it without generating sonic booms that sound like cracks of thunder to observers on the ground. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026 That unity has shown some cracks, with superstar Carlos Alcaraz, one of the original signatories, recently withdrawing from the effort. — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 In this case, visible cracks and splits in the wood may accompany browning leaves. — The Spruce, 8 Sep. 2026 Botryosphaeria uses many routes of entry when invading its hosts, including open wounds, cracks, or lenticels—porous openings on branch and stem tissue used for gas exchange. — Emily Leahy, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026 This place where cracks and loose limbs and broken parts are welcome. — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 7 Sep. 2026 In March 2024, hairline cracks began forming along the entire length of a support beam on the top floor. — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026 Through their business The Fig Hunter, founded in 2021, the couple propagates unique varieties like Shasta Cranberry and Amen’s Citron from cuttings taken in unlikely spots such as culverts and pavement cracks. — Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracks

Verb

Where Saka pops up throughout the 2026-27 season will be particularly interesting.

— Art de Roché, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
When their family's love curse pops up again, the siblings work with their aunts (Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest) and Sally's kids (Joey King and Maisie Williams) to break it once and for all.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of pops

Verb

Qualcomm’s chip can run Linux, along with Arduino software, and can even do computer vision, which deciphers what a camera sees and translates it into software.

— Kif Leswing, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
With that base knowledge and his opponent’s game tape, Nolan analyzes wide receiver alignments and deciphers the offense's attack.

— Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 18 Sep. 2025

Definition of deciphers

Verb

When a headline knocks a stock down, the useful question is whether anything inside the business moved.

— Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Brink is no stranger to the injury bug, as this is just the latest in a series of knocks the Sparks center has taken recently.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of knocks

Verb

View gallery - 4 images Draco, DwarfLab's new smart telescope, solves deep-sky astrophotography's oldest headache with a sensor that physically spins to cancel out star trails caused by Earth's rotation.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2026
Speeding up experimental work This assembly line setup solves a major engineering limitation in fusion research.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of solves

Noun

Back home, though, McKoon keeps getting reminders of the fissures inside his own party.

— Adam Beam, AJC.com, 11 Sep. 2026
But beyond that, the anti-Houthi coalition must finally address the fissures that continue to tear it apart and agree on a credible political vision for resolving the Yemeni conflict.

— April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of fissures

Noun

Their failure was perceived as part of a pattern of significant blows to union power during the Reagan era.

— Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
Zeller sets this up ably by incorporating the sledgehammer blows of the builder hired by Toby into percussive passages of Volker Bertelmann’s ominous score.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026