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 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
  • After the match, Mick Foley comes to the ring and announces that Statlander will compete in a four-way match for the TBS Championship next week against champion Maya World, Hikaru Shida and Persephone.
    — Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • There’s character aplenty, particularly in a main stand that announces proudly in its brickwork frontage just who are the home team here.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of announces
Verb
  • 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
  • The friend laughs and dips her head toward her hand on the bar in delight.
    — Liz Johnson, USA Today, 29 July 2026
Definition of laughs
Verb
  • 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
  • Both, along with the rest of Iraola’s staff, wasted no time trying to implement the Spaniard’s vision, helped by the clear and concise messaging Murillo praises the head coach for.
    — Andy Jones, New York Times, 13 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cracks up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracks%20up. Accessed 22 Aug. 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 august

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

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

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All