Meaning of crack in English
Table of contents
Pronunciation
/kræk/US accent
UK accent
to browse different examples of pronunciation.Verb
crackDefinitions
1. become fracturedExamples
- « break or crack on the surface only »
- « The glass cracked when it was heated »
Derived terms
- 2. make a very sharp explosive sound
Examples
- « His gun cracked »
Derived terms
- 3. make a sharp sound
Examples
- « his fingers snapped »
Derived terms
- 4. hit forcefully
Examples
- « deal a hard blow, making a cracking noise »
- « The teacher cracked him across the face with a ruler »
Derived terms
- 5. pass through (a barrier)
Examples
- « Registrations cracked through the 30,000 mark in the county »
- 6. break partially but keep its integrity
Examples
- « The glass cracked »
Derived terms
- 7. break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension
Examples
- « The rope snapped »
Derived terms
- 8. suffer a nervous breakdown
Derived terms
- 9. tell spontaneously
Examples
- « crack a joke »
Derived terms
- 10. cause to become cracked
Examples
- « heat and light cracked the back of the leather chair »
- 11. reduce (petroleum) to a simpler compound by cracking
Derived terms
- 12. break into simpler molecules by means of heat
Examples
- « The petroleum cracked »
Derived terms
Classifying Adjective
crackDefinitions
1. of the highest qualityExamples
- « 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
Noun
crackEtymology
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 openingDerived terms
- 2. a narrow opening
Examples
- « he opened the window a crack »
Derived terms
- 3. a long narrow depression in a surface
Derived terms
- 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
- 5. a chance to do something
Examples
- « he wanted a shot at the champion »
- 6. witty remark
Derived terms
- 7. a blemish resulting from a break without complete separation of the parts
Examples
- « there was a crack in the mirror »
- 8. a purified and potent form of cocaine that is smoked rather than snorted
- 9. a usually brief attempt
Examples
- « he took a crack at it »
- « I gave it a whirl »
- 10. the act of cracking something
Derived terms
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