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Meaning of crack in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Definitions
  3. Classifying Adjective
    1. Definitions
  4. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions
  1. Pronunciation

    /kræk/

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  1. Verb

    crack

    Definitions

    1. become fractured

    Examples

    • « break or crack on the surface only »
    • « The glass cracked when it was heated »

    Derived terms

    • break
    • check
    • chip
    • fracture
  2. 2. make a very sharp explosive sound

    Examples

    • « His gun cracked »

    Derived terms

    • banger
    • cracker
    • cracking
    • firecracker
    • snap
  3. 3. make a sharp sound

    Examples

    • « his fingers snapped »

    Derived terms

    • cracker
    • cracker bonbon
    • snap
    • snapper
  4. 4. hit forcefully

    Examples

    • « deal a hard blow, making a cracking noise »
    • « The teacher cracked him across the face with a ruler »

    Derived terms

    • cracking
    • fracture
  5. 5. pass through (a barrier)

    Examples

    • « Registrations cracked through the 30,000 mark in the county »
  6. 6. break partially but keep its integrity

    Examples

    • « The glass cracked »

    Derived terms

    • cleft
    • crevice
    • fissure
    • scissure
  7. 7. break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension

    Examples

    • « The rope snapped »

    Derived terms

    • snap
  8. 8. suffer a nervous breakdown

    Derived terms

    • breakdown
    • collapse
    • crack-up
  9. 9. tell spontaneously

    Examples

    • « crack a joke »

    Derived terms

    • quip
    • sally
    • wisecrack
  10. 10. cause to become cracked

    Examples

    • « heat and light cracked the back of the leather chair »
  11. 11. reduce (petroleum) to a simpler compound by cracking

    Derived terms

    • cracking
  12. 12. break into simpler molecules by means of heat

    Examples

    • « The petroleum cracked »

    Derived terms

    • cracking
  13. Classifying Adjective

    crack

    Definitions

    1. of the highest quality

    Examples

    • « an ace reporter »
    • « a crack shot »
    • « a first-rate golfer »
    • « a super party »
    • « played top-notch tennis »
    • « an athlete in tiptop condition »
    • « she is absolutely tops »

    Synonyms

    • superior
  14. Noun

    crack

    Etymology

    Old English cracian ‘make an explosive noise’; of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kraken and German krachen. crack (sense 4 of the noun) is from Irish craic‘entertaining conversation’

    Definitions

    1. a long narrow opening

    Derived terms

    • fissure
  15. 2. a narrow opening

    Examples

    • « he opened the window a crack »

    Derived terms

    • breach
    • gap
  16. 3. a long narrow depression in a surface

    Derived terms

    • fissure
  17. 4. a sudden sharp noise

    Examples

    • « the crack of a whip »
    • « he heard the cracking of the ice »
    • « he can hear the snap of a twig »

    Derived terms

    • click
    • snap
  18. 5. a chance to do something

    Examples

    • « he wanted a shot at the champion »
  19. 6. witty remark

    Derived terms

    • gag
    • quip
    • wisecrack
  20. 7. a blemish resulting from a break without complete separation of the parts

    Examples

    • « there was a crack in the mirror »
  21. 8. a purified and potent form of cocaine that is smoked rather than snorted
  22. 9. a usually brief attempt

    Examples

    • « he took a crack at it »
    • « I gave it a whirl »
  23. 10. the act of cracking something

    Derived terms

    • break
    • fracture

Famous quotes

  • « Men kick friendship around like a football, but it doesn't seem to crack. Women treat it like glass and it goes to pieces. »
    Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  • « The phrase 'off with the crack of the bat', while romantic, is really meaningless, since the outfielder should be in motion long before he hears the sound of the ball meeting the bat. »
    Joe DiMaggio
  • « I can't remember a time when my mom didn't work. She has forever been on the move: a go-getter. When my brother Adel and I had a paper route as kids, my mom would get up before us at the crack of dawn to drop off the Washington Post at different corners. »
    Hoda Kotb
  • « God gives the nuts, but he does not crack them. »
    Franz Kafka
  • « The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. »
    Ayn Rand

Browse dictionary

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