crack a smile

Idioms

Smile, as in Betty was a very serious person; she rarely cracked a smile. This colloquialism transfers crack in the sense of “break” to breaking a serious facial expression into a smile.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But if you can put aside its context and view “The Bride!” as a kitschy Halloween affair, a “Scooby-Doo Meets Frankenstein’s Bride” animated special come to life, it’s almost impossible not to crack a smile.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026

His sprightly text, ably translated from the French by Arielle Aaronson, may crack a smile on even the most stone-faced among us.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

He can crack a smile and a joke or two, but the bespectacled leader can often take on the grimace of a disappointed elder.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2024

For 1 hour 49 minutes, Eldridge does not crack a smile.

From Washington Post • Apr. 12, 2023

He didn’t crack a smile, didn’t even know it was a joke.

From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023