crack up

British  

verb

1. (intr) to break into pieces

2. informal (intr) to undergo a physical or mental breakdown

3. informal (tr) to present or report, esp in glowing terms

   it's not all it's cracked up to be

4. informal to laugh or cause to laugh uproariously or uncontrollably

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noun

1. informal a physical or mental breakdown

crack up Idioms  

1. Suffer an emotional breakdown, become insane, as in He might crack up under the strain . This usage alludes to the result of cracking one's skull; from the early 1600s to crack alone was used in this way. [ Slang ; early 1900s]

2. Damage or wreck a vehicle or vessel. For example, I'm always afraid that I'll crack up the car .

3. Experience a crash, as in We cracked up on the freeway in the middle of the ice storm .

4. Also, crack someone up . Burst or cause to burst out laughing, as in The audience cracked up , or That joke really cracked me up . [ Slang ; c. 1940] Also see break up , def. 6. All of these expressions derive from crack in the sense of “break into pieces” or “collapse,” a usage dating from the late 1600s. Also see cracked up .

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Example Sentences

Without the force of his mediating presence they are cracking up.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Perhaps the tarte Philippe is not all it is cracked up to be,” she nearly said, for she did feel sorry for poor Lady Constance and wished to comfort her.

From Literature

For someone who reportedly doesn’t laugh easily or often, Lorne Michaels has been a driving force behind what cracks up the comedy-loving public for more than half a century.

From The Wall Street Journal

A sprinkle of heavenly magic, and Arj can be taught a valuable lesson—by trading places with Jeff and finding out that wealth isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

From The Wall Street Journal

“And she looks at it and starts cracking up. And she’s like, ‘See, she’s the problem.’

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• freak out
• go crazy