Crack (Verb)
Meaning 1
Make a sharp sound; "his fingers snapped".
Classification
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling.
Examples
- The whip crack through the air as it struck the ground.
- The firework exploded in the sky with a loud crack.
- The doors shut together with a sharp crack that made everyone jump.
- She tried to quietly open the packet but it let out a loud crack.
- Lightning struck the ground with a deafening crack that shook the windows.
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Meaning 2
Make a very sharp explosive sound; "His gun cracked".
Classification
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling.
Examples
- A firework exploded in the air and made a loud crack that startled the children.
- The large branch crackled and cracked once more before finally snapping off the tree.
- As she whacked the whip, it crackled with a loud crack that echoed through the valley.
- The sharp crack of the starting pistol signaled the beginning of the big race.
- A loud crack resonated through the stadium when the baseball player hit the ball perfectly.
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Meaning 3
Tell spontaneously; "crack a joke".
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- The comedian decided to crack a joke about the current weather conditions.
- He couldn't resist the urge to crack another joke during the tense moment.
- I'll crack a joke to lighten the mood at the party tonight.
- When put on the spot, he began to crack jokes about his past mistakes.
- She loved to crack sarcastic jokes during family gatherings.
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Meaning 4
Suffer a nervous breakdown.
Classification
Verbs of feeling.
Examples
- The high-pressure job caused her to crack under the stress and she eventually landed in a hospital.
- After losing her loved one, Sarah started to crack and her friends had to intervene.
- His mind began to crack when he learned about his family's dark past.
- The soldier eventually cracked and was sent home with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Under the intense interrogation, the suspect started to crack and finally broke down and confessed.
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Meaning 5
Hit forcefully; deal a hard blow, making a cracking noise; "The teacher cracked him across the face with a ruler".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- She cracked the baseball bat into the pitcher's thrown ball.
- He cracked the whip loudly to get the team's attention.
- The angry coach cracked a player's helmet with his clipboard.
- The furious parent cracked a book on the child's desk in frustration.
- The referee cracked down on unsportsmanlike behavior during the match.
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Meaning 6
Gain unauthorized access computers with malicious intentions; "she cracked my password"; "crack a safe".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- She managed to crack the admin's password in just a few minutes using her hacking skills.
- A group of skilled hackers claimed to have cracked the security system of a major corporation.
- The professional thief specialized in cracking safes for wealthy clients.
- After weeks of failed attempts, the teenager finally cracked the Wi-Fi network password of his neighbor.
- He tried to crack the encryption key, but his outdated software wasn't powerful enough.
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Meaning 7
Become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The old mirror cracked from years of expansion and contraction in the changing temperatures.
- Her voice cracked with emotion as she spoke about her lost loved one.
- The facade of the building cracked and crumbled during the intense storm.
- The glass cracked when it was heated, but amazingly, it didn't shatter.
- As she yelled, her voice cracked, revealing the strain she was under.
Synonyms
Meaning 8
Reduce (petroleum) to a simpler compound by cracking.
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The refinery uses intense heat and pressure to crack the petroleum molecule into simpler compounds.
- Cracking is a process used in petrochemical plants to break down heavy crude oil into lighter and more useful hydrocarbons.
- At high temperatures, the large molecules of gasoline can crack and break down into smaller units.
- Hydraulic fracturing involves pumping high-pressure fluids into a well to crack the rock formations and release natural gas.
- When heated sufficiently, the long chain hydrocarbons in oil can crack to produce a number of lighter and more valuable products.
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Meaning 9
Break partially but keep its integrity; "The glass cracked".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The fragile vase cracked when it was dropped on the floor.
- After years of heavy use, the pavement cracked and needed to be repaired.
- She heard a faint crack as the branch gave way under her weight.
- The pressure cooker cracked under the intense heat.
- A loud crack was heard when the mirror hit the edge of the table.
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Meaning 10
Pass through (a barrier); "Registrations cracked through the 30,000 mark in the county".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The sales of the new album cracked through the million mark within a week of its release.
- The hot air cracked through the cold atmosphere, signaling a change in weather patterns.
- The team's strategy finally cracked through the enemy's strong defense line during the game.
- Noise levels cracked through the accepted limits of the noise ordinance, prompting complaints from neighbors.
- The news of her victory cracked through social media, receiving widespread congratulations and attention.
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Meaning 11
Cause to become cracked; "heat and light cracked the back of the leather chair".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- High temperatures and drying winds cracked the earth's surface during the severe drought.
- Overexertion cracked the ice in the frozen lake, causing the skaters to fall.
- The intense cold cracked the glass of the thermometer, rendering it unusable.
- Exposure to saltwater cracked the metal exterior of the buried ship's hull.
- Continuous stretching cracked the fibers of the fabric, leading to its eventual tear.
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Meaning 12
Break into simpler molecules by means of heat; "The petroleum cracked".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The old wood stove was used to crack the complex molecules of the coal to produce a cleaner fuel source.
- At high temperatures the complex molecules cracked to form simpler compounds.
- The scientists carefully monitored the reaction to determine the optimal conditions under which the long chain molecules would crack.
- By applying intense heat the researchers managed to crack the tough kerogen molecules into smaller units that could be more easily analyzed.
- The hydrocarbon molecules cracked when exposed to the high pressure and temperature conditions simulating deep earth processes.
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Meaning 13
Break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension; "The pipe snapped".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The stone broke apart as the loud noise crack the air.
- Her voice would crack under the pressure, so she worked on her speeches.
- The whip began to crack, sending the horses into a frantic pace.
- When you bend the metal rod too much, it will crack and lose its strength.
- Her patience will crack if her kids don't stop their constant arguing.