crack 1 of 3

1
as in to pop
to break suddenly with an explosive sound the tree branch unexpectedly cracked under our weight

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2
as in to choke
to yield to mental or emotional stress after hours of tough questioning the suspect finally cracked and blurted out a confession

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3
as in to decipher
to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language the United States military used the Navajo language as a code during World War II, and the enemy never cracked it

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6
as in to bother
to cause to go insane or as if insane cracked by years in solitary confinement, the prisoner could only maunder incoherently

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crack

2 of 3

noun

1
as in fissure
an irregular usually narrow break in a surface created by pressure a pebble struck the car's windshield and left a spidery crack in it

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crack

3 of 3

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crack
Verb
On 2010’s The Hunter, a return to simpler songs after a series of ambitious works, Mastodon cracked the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 for the first time. Jason Newman, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2025 Deep into the night just before Valentine’s Day this year, a 12-inch pipe from an old water main set far beneath the sidewalks of Downtown Kansas City, cracked. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2025
Noun
Many of these cases have stylish designs and sensitive screen protectors to prevent cracks and scratches. Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025 Molten rock beneath the crust rose upward, stretching and pulling apart the surface, creating miles-long cracks. Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for crack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crack
Verb
  • If someone calls, texts, or pops up on screen asking for action, hang up or close the window.
    Michael Cannivet, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Solar panels have popped up on rooftops all around him.
    Betsy Joles, NPR, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Though so many clubs have choked on their own disco dust, the club-model actually works here, largely because the original home base, Maison Estelle, is still the toast of Mayfair, and artistic director Eiesha Pasricha understands how to create cool.
    Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Use caution with toddlers who could choke on the kernels.
    Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Families already navigating the stress of a loved one’s declining health now have to decipher care levels, review costs, evaluate dining and activity programs, check safety records, and determine whether leadership turnover could impact quality of care.
    Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025
  • By the end of a muggy night, Cal Raleigh was outside the visiting clubhouse in a small corridor quietly explaining how the Yankees were able to decipher pitches thrown by closer Andres Munoz.
    Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The Phillies have not made any announcement on the severity of his injury but losing him could knock the defending NL East champs out of the playoffs early.
    Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
  • To get rid of pests, start by spraying a strong stream of water on the plant to knock them off.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • But Trotter said the mystery of where the Carruthers ended up has been solved.
    Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 25 Aug. 2025
  • There was so much in the world already, so many problems that needed to be solved, without complicating things by reënacting what had already happened or was happening somewhere right now or might never happen.
    Rachel Cusk, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • There are many players who let criticism bother them, and that’s bad for you, your teammates and people around you.
    Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Passive-aggressive people rarely tell you exactly what’s bothering them.
    Jenna Ryu, SELF, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • These magma-spewing mounds are responsible for 80 percent of the country’s seismic activity, including glowing fissures that splinter the landscape for up to 2 miles.
    Robin Catalano, Robb Report, 7 Aug. 2025
  • The measures eventually passed after internal Democratic fissures led to enough representatives returning to form a quorum.
    Rachael Dziaba, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The expiration of the enhanced subsidies will also deal a major blow to Covered Connecticut, a program that provides no-cost exchange plans to residents who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but still earn 175% or less than the federal poverty level.
    Jenna Carlesso, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2025
  • The Postal Savings Bank, established in 1911, softened the blow of the Great Depression for millions, before being killed by the big banks in 1967.
    Mark Dimondstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.

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