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:
Each increase might seem to do little until financial conditions suddenly crack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Refiners can still earn very strong profits even if crack spreads fall from exceptional levels, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
"Better that you jump in and give it a crack", Murray tells BBC News.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The crack near the Moro Beach section of Crystal Cove is estimated to be 360 feet long and 2 feet wide.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
Democratic President Harry S. Truman was running for reelection on a platform that included federal laws intended to crack down on lynchings, poll taxes, and employment discrimination.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
A mother has said she feels her son has been "abandoned and is falling through cracks in the system" because of a lack of support for young adults with learning difficulties.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Right at the moment when more cracks materialize, Ye-ji invites this broken family for a shared weekend at Sang-woo’s vacation mansion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
For stock pickers like Casaletto, the cracks in the trade raise the possibility that vindication might finally be near.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
A church in Penonome was also seriously damaged and other buildings showed cracks, according to local reports.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
And the angle of the light coming in through the cracks made him think it was afternoon now.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Inside the Science Center, Endeavour’s payload bay doors are cracked wide open, like a car’s lifted hood — but they were built for space, not Earth’s gravity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Users list pale or grey-looking skin, dark under-eye circles, dry or cracked lips, hair shedding and weak nails, while others share portraits claiming stark visual differences.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Every barrier broken is a notch in a glass ceiling, and the ceiling does not care much whether the person who cracked it got to walk all the way through.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
Parts of Indonesia also previously allowed smallholders to use fire to clear plots of land, though this year the government has cracked down on that practice too.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Mrs. Penworthy’s voice cracked like a teenaged boy’s.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Their work remixes the thrill of early internet exploration into colorful abstraction, cracking open an esoteric feeling to analyze its contents and origin — to varying effect.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026
Plus, banks are cracking down on credit-card points junkies, and France became the poster child for debt woes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
Obi told AFP in an interview last month he would bring down consumer prices in part by cracking down on corruption.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Gov. Gavin Newsom last week signed legislation cracking down on the practice of luxury-car buyers in California registering cars out of state to avoid taxes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Buddy Stein: I pictured him telling scandalous jokes, cracking his knuckles when he got to the punch line.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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