1
2
as in chokes
to yield to mental or emotional stress
after hours of tough questioning the suspect finally cracked and blurted out a confession
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in solves
to find an answer for through reasoning
I've been mulling this riddle, but I just can't crack it
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in crazes
to cause to go insane or as if insane
cracked by years in solitary confinement, the prisoner could only maunder incoherently
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in claps
a loud explosive sound
the tree fell with a sharp crack
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
5
as in jokes
something said or done to cause laughter
a whispered crack made the whole back row start laughing
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in eccentrics
a person of odd or whimsical habits
that conspiracy theorist has been labeled a crack by the ballistics experts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of cracks
James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The gruesome mayhem continues as another family member slips on some small toy cars left on the floor and cracks his head open on the corner of a piano.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 21 Dec. 2025
Whether this Netflix acquisition cracks the Best Picture lineup a year after its filmmakers’ previous effort, Sing Sing, did not, will be a telling indication of the state of the American indie.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
All Day This bra cracks the code on support and shape without a single wire.
—Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
Set just before Christmas, four adult siblings must grapple with the imminent death of their mother, June, who still cracks jokes from her hospital bed.
—Rachel Choy, Refinery29, 26 Nov. 2025
The superb Micaela Diamond cracks jokes as the family’s saucy maid, while Andy Grotelueschen plays a Garrison Keillor-esque announcer.
—Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025
Phillies avoid Shohei Ohtani, but Jhoan Duran cracks Jhoan Duran faced 81 batters after a summer trade brought him to the Phillies.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Apple will be there waiting, sitting on a mountain of cash, ready to partner with (or outright acquire) whichever operation cracks the code.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Paul Bierman, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Food residue can build up and cause cracks.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 7 Jan. 2026
But as the marketing agency's French clients grew antsy and opportunities with Italian companies started falling through the cracks, boss Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) and coworkers Julien (Samuel Arnold) and Luc (Bruno Gouery) saw the writing on the wall.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 5 Jan. 2026
In a large and complex public school system, recess can fall through the cracks.
—Jordan Brackett, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2026
True to form, Helen maintains discipline, but Charles cracks.
—Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
On both, the upper features two distinct elements split by an uneven gold line intended to replicate the use of the metal to seal cracks on broken pottery.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 11 Nov. 2025
On the other end, the Wave started to break through the cracks a little more, including a couple golden looks in the 74th minute.
—Austin White, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2025
Then on 11/11, the ascension portal cracks open as Jupiter retrogrades in Cancer, illuminating your community and friendship sector.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
Chowdhury says that there is a growing cadre in government and industry who have bought into the hype around humanoids and believe that the world economy will be dominated by whoever cracks the problem first.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The gruesome mayhem continues as another family member slips on some small toy cars left on the floor and cracks his head open on the corner of a piano.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 21 Dec. 2025
Whether this Netflix acquisition cracks the Best Picture lineup a year after its filmmakers’ previous effort, Sing Sing, did not, will be a telling indication of the state of the American indie.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
All Day This bra cracks the code on support and shape without a single wire.
—Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
Set just before Christmas, four adult siblings must grapple with the imminent death of their mother, June, who still cracks jokes from her hospital bed.
—Rachel Choy, Refinery29, 26 Nov. 2025
The superb Micaela Diamond cracks jokes as the family’s saucy maid, while Andy Grotelueschen plays a Garrison Keillor-esque announcer.
—Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025
Phillies avoid Shohei Ohtani, but Jhoan Duran cracks Jhoan Duran faced 81 batters after a summer trade brought him to the Phillies.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Apple will be there waiting, sitting on a mountain of cash, ready to partner with (or outright acquire) whichever operation cracks the code.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
As the ice melts and the ground settles under runways, cracks and craters form – a hazard for airplanes.
—Paul Bierman, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Food residue can build up and cause cracks.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 7 Jan. 2026
But as the marketing agency's French clients grew antsy and opportunities with Italian companies started falling through the cracks, boss Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) and coworkers Julien (Samuel Arnold) and Luc (Bruno Gouery) saw the writing on the wall.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 5 Jan. 2026
In a large and complex public school system, recess can fall through the cracks.
—Jordan Brackett, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2026
True to form, Helen maintains discipline, but Charles cracks.
—Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
On both, the upper features two distinct elements split by an uneven gold line intended to replicate the use of the metal to seal cracks on broken pottery.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 11 Nov. 2025
On the other end, the Wave started to break through the cracks a little more, including a couple golden looks in the 74th minute.
—Austin White, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2025
Then on 11/11, the ascension portal cracks open as Jupiter retrogrades in Cancer, illuminating your community and friendship sector.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracks
Verb
-
Pull the linguistic thread a little further, and the word pops up as a mark of frustration.—
L. Carol Ritchie,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Not so in Canada, as the Blackhawks star pops up in commercials pretty frequently — including a CIBC ad with none other than Connor McDavid, which seems to be running on a loop north of the border.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Left to die, breathless and alone, Invisigal chokes while Robert screams from the other end of the comms.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Even the woman Larry falls for, Gwen (Evelyn Ankers), isn't immune to the animal's evil charms, and the creature nearly chokes the life out of her in one scene.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
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
Verb
-
However, when a wealthy telecommunications CEO knocks on their door and reveals his plans to regain the public’s trust in supers, the Parrs are all in.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Latin social dance is a place where people leave their worries at the door, but in Chicago, fear over immigration crackdowns knocks anyway.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The key is matching the debt relief strategy to your specific situation rather than assuming bankruptcy automatically solves everything.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Whether you’re headed to work, church, or a date night, the Gym People midi skirt solves all of your outfit woes.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Famous for their made-to-order burgers and secret menu hacks, California-based In-N-Out has been flipping patties since 1948, building a devoted fan base that predates social media crazes.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
21 Aug. 2025
-
The reality is that the global network has become a transmission mechanism for all kinds of manias and panics, just as the combination of printing and literacy temporarily increased the prevalence of millenarian sects and witch crazes.—
Niall Ferguson,
Foreign Affairs,
15 Aug. 2017
Noun
-
Those fissures burst into the open last week, when Tucker Carlson conducted a friendly interview with the cheerfully white nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The journalist Beth Macy, who in her previous books chronicled the widening fissures in American society by examining the opioid crisis and the aftereffects of globalization, grew up there.—
Alex Kotlowitz,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Coming out the second half the teams continued to trade blows, after the Rockets took a 32-30 lead Xaverian responded with a 15-5 run to end the quarter to take a 45-37 lead.—
Mukala Kabongo,
Boston Herald,
4 Jan. 2026
-
The Anteaters withstood an early jolt from Cal State Fullerton in their Big West Conference matchup, but came back with several blows of their own in an 86-64 win at Titan Gym.—
Dan Arritt,
Oc Register,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cracks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracks. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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