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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

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 cracks up But then Anton brings up the idea of Talia and Brooke using him as their sperm donor and Talia fully cracks up. — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026 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
  • For example, if a hyperscaler announces a 1-gigawatt facility, that number typically refers only to how much electricity the facility is designed to consume.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Will anything matter here until Nvidia announces a half-trillion-dollar buyback?
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of announces
Verb
  • Rubin laughs—they’d even leave some of the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion on her face.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
  • A couple of audience members nervously crack jokes to break the tension, but no one laughs.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of laughs
Verb
  • For all his obvious qualities in attack, Ruiz also praises Kvaratskhelia’s defensive work.
    — Tom Burrows, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Noel also praises Liam’s fashionable cool (Stone Island parka, big sunglasses, tambourine as a fascinator) and how much his frontman persona resonated with fans worldwide.
    — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 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
  • The menu advertises Singaporean cuisine, which incorporates influences from Chinese, Malay and Indian traditions and ingredients.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • That makes the insurer's financial strength an important part of the comparison rather than focusing exclusively on which company advertises the highest rate.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of advertises

Browse Nearby Words

cracks (on)
cracks up
cracks wise
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cracks up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracks%20up. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of quorum

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All