cracks up

verb

present tense third-person singular of crack up
1
as in applauds
to declare enthusiastic approval of that sports car isn't all it's cracked up to be

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in announces
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 laughs
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

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 up During one particularly fun moment shared by the LPGA Tour on Instagram, Clark cracks up at Cunningham's energetic approach to the sport — which ended in her accidentally hitting a fan with the ball. — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracks up
  1. applauds
  2. announces
  3. laughs
  4. praises
  5. blows up
  6. giggles
  7. hails
  8. advertises
Verb
  • Earlier this week, former GOP Senator Jeff Flake, of Arizona, endorsed Ossoff saying despite their policy differences, Flake applauds Ossoff's character and his commitment to doing the job.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Jasmin Camacho, an evolutionary biologist at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, applauds the python work as another way of looking in unexpected places for potential drugs and cures.
    — Ari Daniel, NPR, 13 July 2026
Definition of applauds
Verb
  • Every few weeks, another headline announces that artificial intelligence has matched a doctor, beaten a doctor, or is finally ready to become one.
    — Arya Rao, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026
  • If that was not confusing enough, the calendar remains shrouded in uncertainty until only a few weeks before the first match of each campaign, when the PCB belatedly announces the fixtures.
    — Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of announces
Verb
  • His cutlery’s subtly unusual proportions manage to be elegant and playful at the same time, like that perfect joke that lands gracefully at a cocktail party, where everyone laughs and nobody chortles.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The rest of the video cuts to the pro getting his shaggy platinum blonde hair snipped and shaved down to a shorter look by the reality star, who laughs multiple times while taking charge of Appleton’s transformation.
    — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of laughs
Verb
  • Nashville praises the family, but how exactly that baby gets there…well, you’re not supposed to talk about that.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Guest judge Willy Chavarria praises how Jeffrey’s outfit moved (my favorite thing about it), but the strength of Naheim’s tromp l’oeil effect snags him the win, immunity for the next challenge, and $20,000 from Viva.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of praises
Verb
  • The person who blows up at a subordinate under stress has usually been subtly condescending in one-on-ones for months.
    — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Frequent zoom-ins shown on screens showed sweat dripping down his face, and his hair resembled something similar to a mad scientist after an experiment blows up in their face.
    — Joseph Hernandez August 13, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of blows up
Verb
  • But Alexca, a bubbly toddler who giggles and runs about, has conquered her grandmother’s heart.
    — Julie Watson, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
  • Herbert then grabs Beer's face and pulls her in for a kiss as the singer giggles.
    — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026
Definition of giggles
Verb
  • Techno-optimism hails AI’s transformative potential to solve major social problems and address unmet needs.
    — Marianne Cooper, Time, 5 Aug. 2026
  • State propaganda hails these robots as emblems of China’s ascent; in the hallway, most people sidestep them with the kind of indifference usually reserved for a Roomba.
    — Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of hails
Verb
  • Vercel advertises zero markup on tokens, and Cloudflare passes provider inference prices through unchanged, charging 5% only when customers use its unified billing.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The typical listing advertises a salary of about $177,000, compared to roughly $80,000 for a non-AI role, according to LinkedIn.
    — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of advertises

Browse Nearby Words

cracks (on)
cracks up
cracks wise
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Cite this Entry

“Cracks up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracks%20up. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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