cracker
Americannoun
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a thin, crisp biscuit.
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a firecracker.
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Also called cracker bonbon. a small paper roll used as a party favor, that usually contains candy, trinkets, etc., and that pops when pulled sharply at one or both ends.
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(initial capital letter) a native or inhabitant of Georgia or Florida (used as a nickname).
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Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a white person in the South, especially a poor white living in some rural parts of the southeastern U.S.
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Slang. black hat.
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braggart; boaster.
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a person or thing that cracks.
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a chemical reactor used for cracking.
adjective
noun
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a decorated cardboard tube that emits a bang when pulled apart, releasing a toy, a joke, or a paper hat
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short for firecracker
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a thin crisp biscuit, usually unsweetened
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a person or thing that cracks
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offensive another word for poor White
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slang a thing or person of notable qualities or abilities
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informal worthless; useless
Sensitive Note
The term cracker is used as a neutral nickname by inhabitants of Georgia and Florida; it is a positive term of self-reference. But when the nickname is used by outsiders, it is usually with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting by Georgians and Floridians. Cracker is always disparaging and offensive when used to refer to a poor white person in the South; the word in this sense often implies that the person is regarded as ignorant or uneducated. When used by Black people, cracker can refer to a Southern white racist, not necessarily poor or rural. See also Cracker State.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cracker
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English craker; see crack, -er 1; cracker defs. 4, 5 were perhaps originally in sense “braggart,” applied to frontiersmen of the southern American colonies in the 1760s, though subsequently given other interpretations ( cf. corn-cracker); cracker for def. 11 crackers “crazy,” cf. cracked, -ers
Explanation
A cracker is a snack. It’s a thin, savory, crisp biscuit, like a saltine. It’s also anything that cracks, like a firecracker or a computer code cracker, or of course, that thin, savory snack that cracks when you break it. Besides a baked wafer, another kind of cracker is a noisemaker — either a small firework that makes a sharp bang, or the kind that snaps loudly when you pull its colorful paper wrapper apart. Cracker can also be used as an offensive term for a white person, particularly one who's Southern and poor. This meaning comes from the sense of crack as "brag," and a cracker, therefore, as a "bragger."
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.
See Examples For:
If they do open up, this could be a cracker because Senegal have got plenty of firepower too.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
What you’re left with is somewhere between a cracker and a cutlet.
From Salon ● May 22, 2026
Between the wars, he created a catalytic cracker process that turned petroleum molecules into gasoline more efficiently, which also meant more pollution.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
Last week, Japanese giant Mitsubishi Chemical started cutting production capacity of its steam cracker, a facility that converts naphtha into ethylene and propylene, which it runs as a joint venture.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
If it weren’t for the graham cracker crust, I might not.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
Solicitor Alistair Smith, who has been representing Emily's family, said the national policy of moving people immediately upon turning 18 was "crackers" and "shouldn't happen".
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Spread the crackers onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Place the oyster crackers in a large bowl.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Pour the mixture over the oyster crackers and toss until evenly coated.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
There's fruits and crackers and cheeses and cakes and noodles and weird-looking salads and chicken and pie and potatoes and macaroni.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
