crack
Americanverb (used without object)
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cracks,
present (3rd person singular)
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cracked,
past participle, past
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cracking
present participle
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to break without complete separation of parts; become fissured.
The plate cracked when I dropped it, but it was still usable.
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to break with a sudden, sharp sound.
The branch cracked under the weight of the snow.
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to make a sudden, sharp sound in or as if in breaking; snap.
The whip cracked.
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(of the voice) to break abruptly and discordantly, especially into an upper register, as because of weariness or emotion.
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to fail; give way.
His confidence cracked under the strain.
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to succumb or break down, especially under severe psychological pressure, torture, or the like.
They questioned him steadily for 24 hours before he finally cracked.
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Chemistry. to decompose as a result of being subjected to heat.
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Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. to brag; boast.
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Chiefly Scot. to chat; gossip.
verb (used with object)
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cracks,
present (3rd person singular)
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cracked,
past participle, past
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cracking
present participle
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to cause to make a sudden sharp sound.
The driver cracked the whip.
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to break without complete separation of parts; break into fissures.
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to break with a sudden, sharp sound.
to crack walnuts.
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to strike and thereby make a sharp noise.
The boxer cracked his opponent on the jaw.
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to induce or cause to be stricken with sorrow or emotion; affect deeply.
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to utter or tell.
to crack jokes.
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to cause to make a cracking sound.
to crack one's knuckles.
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to damage, weaken, etc..
The new evidence against him cracked his composure.
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to make mentally unsound.
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to make (the voice) harsh or unmanageable.
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to solve; decipher.
to crack a murder case.
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Informal. to break into (a safe, vault, etc.).
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Chemistry. to subject to the process of cracking, as in the distillation of petroleum.
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Informal. to open and drink (a bottle of wine, liquor, beer, etc.).
noun
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cracks
plural
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a break without complete separation of parts; fissure.
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a slight opening, as between boards in a floor or wall, or between a door and its doorpost.
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a sudden, sharp noise, as of something breaking.
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the snap of or as of a whip.
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a resounding blow.
He received a terrific crack on the head when the branch fell.
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Informal. a witty or cutting remark; wisecrack.
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a break or change in the flow or tone of the voice.
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Informal. opportunity; chance; try.
Give him first crack at the new job.
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a flaw or defect.
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Also called rock. Slang. pellet-size pieces of highly purified cocaine, prepared with other ingredients for smoking, and known to be especially potent and addicting.
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Masonry. check.
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a mental defect or deficiency.
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a shot, as with a rifle.
At the first crack, the deer fell.
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a moment; instant.
He was on his feet again in a crack.
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Slang. a burglary, especially an instance of housebreaking.
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Chiefly British. a person or thing that excels in some respect.
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Slang: Vulgar. the vulva.
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Chiefly Scot. conversation; chat.
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British Dialect. boasting; braggadocio.
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Archaic. a burglar.
adjective
adverb
verb phrase
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crack on
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(of a sailing vessel) to sail in high winds under sails that would normally be furled.
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(of a power vessel) to advance at full speed in heavy weather.
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crack down to take severe or stern measures, especially in enforcing obedience to laws or regulations.
The police are starting to crack down on local drug dealers.
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crack up
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to suffer a mental or emotional breakdown.
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to crash, as in an automobile or airplane.
He skidded into the telephone pole and cracked up.
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to wreck an automobile, airplane, or other vehicle.
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to laugh or to cause to laugh unrestrainedly.
That story about the revolving door really cracked me up. Ed cracked up, too, when he heard it.
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crack off to cause (a piece of hot glass) to fall from a blowpipe or punty.
idioms
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crack a book, to open a book in order to study or read.
He hardly ever cracked a book.
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get cracking,
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to begin moving or working; start.
Let's get cracking on these dirty dishes!
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to work or move more quickly.
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crack a smile, to smile.
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crack wise, to wisecrack.
We tried to be serious, but he was always cracking wise.
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fall through the cracks, to be overlooked, missed, or neglected: Also slip between the cracks.
In any inspection process some defective materials will fall through the cracks.
verb
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to break or cause to break without complete separation of the parts
the vase was cracked but unbroken
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to break or cause to break with a sudden sharp sound; snap
to crack a nut
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to make or cause to make a sudden sharp sound
to crack a whip
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to cause (the voice) to change tone or become harsh or (of the voice) to change tone, esp to a higher register; break
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informal to fail or cause to fail
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to yield or cause to yield
to crack under torture
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(tr) to hit with a forceful or resounding blow
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(tr) to break into or force open
to crack a safe
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(tr) to solve or decipher (a code, problem, etc)
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informal (tr) to tell (a joke, etc)
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to break (a molecule) into smaller molecules or radicals by the action of heat, as in the distillation of petroleum
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(tr) to open (esp a bottle) for drinking
let's crack another bottle
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dialect (intr) to chat; gossip
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informal (tr) to achieve (esp in the phrase crack it )
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informal (tr) to find or catch
to crack a wave in surfing
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informal to break into a smile
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informal to disguise one's discomfort, etc; put on a bold front
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informal to assert one's authority, esp to put people under pressure to work harder
noun
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a sudden sharp noise
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a break or fracture without complete separation of the two parts
a crack in the window
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a narrow opening or fissure
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informal a resounding blow
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a physical or mental defect; flaw
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a moment or specific instant
the crack of day
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a broken or cracked tone of voice, as a boy's during puberty
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informal (often foll by at) an attempt; opportunity to try
he had a crack at the problem
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slang a gibe; wisecrack; joke
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slang a person that excels
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dialect a talk; chat
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slang a processed form of cocaine hydrochloride used as a stimulant. It is highly addictive
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Also: craic. informal fun; informal entertainment
the crack was great in here last night
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obsolete a burglar or burglary
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the very instant that the sun rises
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very early in the morning
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informal a fair chance or opportunity
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doomsday; the end of the world; the Day of Judgment
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cracksimple
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crackssimple
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have crackedperfect
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has crackedperfect
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am crackingprogressive
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are crackingprogressive
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is crackingprogressive
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have been crackingperfect progressive
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has been crackingperfect progressive
Past
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crackedsimple
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had crackedperfect
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was crackingprogressive
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were crackingprogressive
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had been crackingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crack
First recorded before 1000; Middle English crak (noun), crak(k)en (verb), Old English cracian “to resound”; cognate with German krachen, Dutch kraken (verb), and German Krach, Dutch krak (noun)
Explanation
A crack is a very narrow space, chink, or opening. If your favorite mug has a crack in it, it might leak. A crack can be as thin as a pencil line, or a wider gap, like a crack where your foot gets stuck as you climb down the side of a mountain. Crack is also a verb, meaning "to split or break," and also "to give way under pressure," as when a suspect cracks after hours of being interrogated. An informal kind of crack is a joke: "That crack he made about my haircut really hurt my feelings."
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:
More local housing markets are beginning to crack.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Roughly half a dozen states, including Illinois and New York, have tried to crack down by passing bans on reservation reselling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
“I’d love to take a crack at either short stories or writing a novel.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Baroness Shas Sheehan, who chairs the committee, said the overuse of the treatments on household pets was "the equivalent of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut".
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
I studied her eye through the crack in the door just to see if the woman was wearing spectacles.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Some small signs point to cracks in the industry’s — and passengers’ — resilience.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Veterans, meanwhile, have started to fall through the cracks.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Around it, apart from some cracks, the rest of the buildings seem to have escaped the fate of the Torres.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
And in each of the confederations cracks are already appearing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
There are cracks in the kitchen backsplash, a trash chute that won’t open, and the distinct scent of cat litter.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
In Boca Chica, a group of residents has sued SpaceX, claiming the company’s rocket launches have cracked their homes’ foundations and caused structural issues.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
In that footage, shattered glass, empty shelves, cracked computer screens and scattered debris can be seen in the wake of the burglary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
"Patients also fled the hospital, the jolt was big. I saw some walls were cracked," Lotar, a hospital customer service official told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
“We haven’t cracked the code on how to be successful to the level we’d like to in the wireless business,” Ergen said on an earnings call earlier this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Whatcha doing?” said a voice at my elbow, and I jumped so badly that my head cracked the stone ceiling of my bunk.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Telltale signs of water damage include discolored wall panels, black mold, cracking plaster or peeling paint, just to name a few.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
The process of hydraulic fracturing ekes out oil from older wells, and involves cracking the bedrock several thousand feet below the seafloor by injecting chemical fluids with intense pressure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
China has been cracking down on a practice known as "Singapore-washing," which is when companies leave the country to take advantage of looser regulations, global customers or funding opportunities.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
"She's a cracking lady, still with a sense of humour but she's living with this awful condition," said Riley, from Manchester.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Now she could hear hailstones cracking against the cabin, louder and louder.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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.
