cracking

[ krak-ing ]

See synonyms for: cracking crackings on Thesaurus.com

noun

(in the distillation of petroleum or the like) the process of breaking down certain hydrocarbons into simpler ones of lower boiling points by means of excess heat, distillation under pressure, etc., in order to give a greater yield of low-boiling products than could be obtained by simple distillation.: Compare catalytic cracking.

adverb

extremely; unusually: We saw a cracking good match at the stadium.

adjectiveInformal.

done with precision; smart: A cracking salute from the honor guard.

Idioms about cracking

get cracking. crack (def. 54).

Origin of cracking

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; see crack, -ing¹, -ing²

Words Nearby cracking

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cracking in a sentence

For free speech, but the cracking of skulls if it comes to it.
Four Years After Deadly Rally, Charlottesville Nazis Are Headed to Court | Kelly Weill | October 25, 2021 | The Daily Beast
That in turn would help prevent cracking, which often occurs when the exterior of a piece of wood dries out faster than the interior.
You might like Stradivarius violins because worms hate them | Sara Chodosh | August 18, 2021 | Popular-Science
You have things like no sewer pipes and other things that are greasy and cracking.
Better cybersecurity means finding the “unknown unknowns” | MIT Technology Review Insights | May 26, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
One chiro I follow adjusts baby spines, slowly, carefully, with basically no audible cracking.
Help, I’m Obsessed with Chiropractors on Instagram | Grace Perry | April 21, 2021 | Outside Online
The party that controls the maps can grab power through packing or cracking.
How next-gen computer generated maps detect partisan gerrymandering | Sujata Gupta | September 7, 2020 | Science News

The Communist Party of China gets a bad rap for cracking down on religion.
The Buddhist Business of Poaching Animals for Good Karma | Brendon Hong | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Protestors say the president is cracking down on free speech.
Turkey Arrests Journalists in Crackdown | Jesse Rosenfeld | December 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was a street-sweep, and violence had broken out, and the government was cracking down.
Jon Stewart Talks ‘Rosewater’ and the ‘Chickensh-t’ Democrats’ Midterm Massacre | Marlow Stern | November 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
For a country forever cracking down on those perceived as veering from the sexual norm, being gay is finally starting to pay.
China’s Gay Hook-Up App Is a Cash Cow | Charlotte Lytton | November 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The more accomplished students took classes in safe-cracking, burglary, blackmail, and confidence games.
Meet 'The Queen of Thieves' Marm Mandelbaum, New York City's First Mob Boss | J. North Conway | September 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
His foot caught; it is unknown in what,—in a twisted tie, or perhaps in a crevice of the cracking earth.
A Lost Hero | Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. Ward
Along the shore they sped, speaking not a word till they had got the village in sight and their arms were cracking in the joints.
The Rival Campers | Ruel Perley Smith
After waiting long, the hunters heard high above them a cracking, rushing sound; and suddenly they saw a great, hovering object.
Rudy and Babette | Hans Christian Andersen
"Up to sixteen thousand tons," Darrin replied, without cracking a smile.
Uncle Sam's Boys as Lieutenants | H. Irving Hancock
Neither did his ears hear at first a low muffled cracking that had been going on for some time.
Mushroom Town | Oliver Onions

British Dictionary definitions for cracking

cracking

/ (ˈkrækɪŋ) /

adjective

(prenominal) informal fast; vigorous (esp in the phrase a cracking pace)
get cracking informal to start doing something quickly or do something with increased speed

adverb, adjective

British informal first-class; excellent: a cracking good match

noun

the process in which molecules are cracked, esp the oil-refining process in which heavy oils are broken down into hydrocarbons of lower molecular weight by heat or catalysis: See also catalytic cracker

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for cracking

cracking

[ krăk′ĭng ]

The process of breaking down complex chemical compounds by heating them. Sometimes a catalyst is added to lower the amount of heat needed for the reaction. Cracking is used especially for breaking petroleum molecules into shorter molecules and to extract low-boiling fractions, such as gasoline, from petroleum. See also hydrocracking.

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