as in excellent
of the very best kind
a writer renowned for her cracking tales of mystery and suspense
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extremely
to a great degree
tells a cracking good tale of a search for a lost city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in popping
to break suddenly with an explosive sound
the tree branch unexpectedly cracked under our weight
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in choking
to yield to mental or emotional stress
after hours of tough questioning the suspect finally cracked and blurted out a confession
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in deciphering
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in knocking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
cracked the bow of the ship with a champagne bottle
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in solving
to find an answer for through reasoning
I've been mulling this riddle, but I just can't crack it
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in bothering
to cause to go insane or as if insane
cracked by years in solitary confinement, the prisoner could only maunder incoherently
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 cracking
New Atlas, 10 Apr. 2026
Another uninspired performance coupled with a a heavy defeat may well spell the end for the Basque manager at the Emirates, so this fixture should have plenty of undertones and be a cracking game of football.
—SI.com, 28 Oct. 2019
His fortunes finally turned back Wednesday, when van Garderen laid down a cracking time trial at the Tour of California.
—sacbee, 16 May 2018
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 30 May 2026
For him, persistence is the key to cracking the case.
—Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 28 May 2026
The Kremlin’s approval rating is cracking.
—Anna Nemtsova, Time, 23 May 2026
Gleeson’s casual menace and black sense of humor make for an ideal foil to Cage’s quip-cracking do-gooder.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 May 2026
Anna lives with Harlequin ichthyosis, a rare genetic skin disease where a baby is born with hard, thick skin that is prone to cracking and splitting apart, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 May 2026
Fashion was hit by brand management tremors on Wednesday as two new fault lines opened up, further cracking the industry’s status quo.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
It was long thought that cracking encryption would require a processor with at least a million qubits.
—Zeeya Merali, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
After games, many Thunder players reside by their lockers cracking jokes and catching up instead of fretting over roles and playing time.
—Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Adjective
The study published in the journal Construction and Building Materials also revealed that the triangular and wavy forms significantly enhanced the beam's ability to handle post-cracking stress.
—New Atlas, 10 Apr. 2026
Another uninspired performance coupled with a a heavy defeat may well spell the end for the Basque manager at the Emirates, so this fixture should have plenty of undertones and be a cracking game of football.
—SI.com, 28 Oct. 2019
His fortunes finally turned back Wednesday, when van Garderen laid down a cracking time trial at the Tour of California.
—sacbee, 16 May 2018
Verb
Take care when cracking the pits open to avoid damaging the seed inside.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 30 May 2026
For him, persistence is the key to cracking the case.
—Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 28 May 2026
The Kremlin’s approval rating is cracking.
—Anna Nemtsova, Time, 23 May 2026
Gleeson’s casual menace and black sense of humor make for an ideal foil to Cage’s quip-cracking do-gooder.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 May 2026
Anna lives with Harlequin ichthyosis, a rare genetic skin disease where a baby is born with hard, thick skin that is prone to cracking and splitting apart, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 May 2026
Fashion was hit by brand management tremors on Wednesday as two new fault lines opened up, further cracking the industry’s status quo.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
It was long thought that cracking encryption would require a processor with at least a million qubits.
—Zeeya Merali, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
After games, many Thunder players reside by their lockers cracking jokes and catching up instead of fretting over roles and playing time.
—Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracking
Adjective
-
Seb Stafford-Bloor’s excellent Transfer Tiers series is moving on to central defenders today.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
The right-shot defenseman has had an excellent tournament for Finland, who advanced to the semifinals with a win over Czechia.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
28 May 2026
Adverb
-
The club had learned to accept that the 51-year-old is extremely demanding and ambitious, qualities that actually made working with him a challenge at times.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
Donley says that all the evidence presented in court shows that storing this waste in close proximity to homes, schools, and waterways would be extremely harmful to the local population's health and the environment.—
Heath Kalb,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The maximum memory capacity is now an eye-popping 256GB of DDR5, via four SO-DIMM RAM slots.—
John Burek,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
-
King Arthur manuscript goes on sale A rare medieval manuscript featuring early tales of King Arthur and Merlin, which has been in private hands for about 700 years, is heading to auction with an eye-popping price tag.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Now she is stuck with three long term leases choking her cash flow like a noose around her neck.—
George Deeb,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
Keaton’s friend, director Dennis Dugan, was at risk of choking to death when a bit of food got lodged in his throat.—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Armed with an adventure kit, participants are summoned to a secret location where they’re tasked with deciphering cryptic codes, uncovering hidden symbols, navigating shifting alliances and outwit enemies and operatives stationed around the campus.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
Currently, judges in California courts are responsible for deciphering the nuances of California’s Invasion of Privacy law.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
-
Sounds like big savings knocking on your doorstep.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
While speaking with Spectrum News, Obama Shaw said his involvement in the community inspired his run for California governor, with a platform that includes solving the homelessness crisis, building more housing, and cutting unnecessary spending.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
-
By studying how dogs navigate rough terrain, geckos climb walls, and fish move through water, researchers are creating machines capable of solving problems that traditional robots struggle to address.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
The tears then started to flow, as Zheng took deep breaths and explained that the foot issue was to reapply tape to a foot blister that had been bothering her.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
-
At the same time, the regime has stopped bothering to sell a narrative of national restoration or modernization to the rest of the country, which is losing enormous amounts of blood and treasure in the battlefields of Ukraine.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cracking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracking. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
