crack (kr k)v. cracked, crack·ing, cracks v.intr.1. To break or snap apart. 2. To make a sharp snapping sound. 3. To break without complete separation of parts; fissure: The mirror cracked. 4. To change sharply in pitch or timbre, as from hoarseness or emotion. Used of the voice. 5. To break down; fail: The defendant's composure finally began to crack. 6. To have a mental or physical breakdown: cracked under the pressure. 7. To move or go rapidly: was cracking along at 70 miles an hour. 8. Chemistry To break into simpler molecules by means of heat. v.tr.1. To cause to make a sharp snapping sound. 2. To cause to break without complete separation of parts: cracked the glass. 3. a. To break with a sharp snapping sound. See Synonyms at break. b. To crush (corn or wheat, for example) into small pieces. 4. To open to a slight extent: cracked the window to let in some air. 5. To strike with a sudden sharp sound. 6. Informal a. To break open or into: crack a safe. b. To open up for use or consumption: crack a book; cracked a beer. c. To break through (an obstacle) in order to win acceptance or acknowledgement: finally cracked the "men-only" rule at the club. 7. To discover the solution to, especially after considerable effort: crack a code. 8. To cause (the voice) to crack. 9. Informal To tell (a joke), especially on impulse or in an effective manner. 10. To cause to have a mental or physical breakdown. 11. To impair or destroy: Their rude remarks cracked his equanimity. 12. To reduce (petroleum) to simpler compounds by cracking. n.1. A sharp snapping sound, such as the report of a firearm. 2. a. A partial split or break; a fissure. b. A slight narrow space: The window was open a crack. 3. A sharp resounding blow. 4. a. A mental or physical impairment; a defect. b. A breaking, harshly dissonant vocal tone or sound, as in hoarseness. 5. An attempt or try: gave him a crack at the job; took a crack at photography. 6. A witty or sarcastic remark. See Synonyms at joke. 7. A moment; an instant: at the crack of dawn. 8. Irish Fun; amusement. 9. Slang Crack cocaine. adj. Excelling in skill or achievement; first-rate: a crack shot; a crack tennis player. Phrasal Verbs: crack down To act more forcefully to regulate, repress, or restrain: The police cracked down on speeding. crack up Informal 1. To praise highly: He was simply not the genius he was cracked up to be. 2. a. To damage or wreck (a vehicle or vessel): crack up a plane; crack up a boat. b. To wreck a vehicle in an accident: cracked up on the expressway. 3. To have a mental or physical breakdown: crack up from overwork. 4. To experience or cause to experience a great deal of amusement: really cracked up when I heard that joke. Idiom: crack the whip To behave in a domineering manner; demand hard work and efficiency from those under one's control.
[Middle English craken, from Old English cracian; see ger -2 in Indo-European roots.] |
crack Verb 1. to break or split without complete separation of the parts 2. to break with a sudden sharp sound 3. to make or cause to make a sudden sharp sound: the coachman cracked his whip 4. (of the voice) to become harsh or change pitch suddenly 5. Informal to fail or break down: he had cracked under the strain of losing his job 6. to yield or cease to resist: he had cracked under torture 7. to hit with a forceful or resounding blow 8. to break into or force open: it'll take me longer if I have to crack the safe myself 9. to solve or decipher (a code or problem) 10. Informal to tell (a joke) 11. to break (a molecule) into smaller molecules or radicals by heat or catalysis as in the distillation of petroleum 12. to open (a bottle) for drinking 13. crack it Informal to achieve something Noun 1. a sudden sharp noise 2. a break or fracture without complete separation of the two parts 3. a narrow opening or fissure 4. Informal a sharp blow 5. crack of dawn daybreak 6. a broken or cracked tone of voice 7. Informal an attempt 8. Informal a gibe or joke 9. Slang a highly addictive form of cocaine 10. a fair crack of the whip Informal a fair chance or opportunity Adjective Slang first-class or excellent: crack troops
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. |  crack - a long narrow openingchap - a crack in a lip caused usually by cold chink - a narrow opening as e.g. between planks in a wall faulting, geological fault, fracture, break, fault, shift - (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other; "they built it right over a geological fault"; "he studied the faulting of the earth's crust" opening, gap - an open or empty space in or between things; "there was a small opening between the trees"; "the explosion made a gap in the wall" rift - a narrow fissure in rock split - a lengthwise crack in wood; "he inserted the wedge into a split in the log" volcano, vent - a fissure in the earth's crust (or in the surface of some other planet) through which molten lava and gases erupt | | 2. | crack - a narrow opening; "he opened the window a crack"opening - a vacant or unobstructed space that is man-made; "they left a small opening for the cat at the bottom of the door" spark gap - the gap between two high-potential terminals | | 3. |  crack - a long narrow depression in a surfaceimprint, impression, depression - a concavity in a surface produced by pressing; "he left the impression of his fingers in the soft mud" | | 4. |  crack - a sudden sharp noise; "the crack of a whip"; "he heard the cracking of the ice"; "he can hear the snap of a twig"noise - sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound); "he enjoyed the street noises"; "they heard indistinct noises of people talking"; "during the firework display that ended the gala the noise reached 98 decibels" | | 5. | crack - a chance to do something; "he wanted a shot at the champion"colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech chance, opportunity - a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances; "the holiday gave us the opportunity to visit Washington"; "now is your chance" | | 6. | crack - witty remarkcomment, remark, input - a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information; "from time to time she contributed a personal comment on his account" | | 7. | crack - a blemish resulting from a break without complete separation of the parts; "there was a crack in the mirror"blemish, mar, defect - a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body); "a facial blemish" craze - a fine crack in a glaze or other surface | | 8. |  crack - a purified and potent form of cocaine that is smoked rather than snorted; highly addictivecocain, cocaine - a narcotic (alkaloid) extracted from coca leaves; used as a surface anesthetic or taken for pleasure; can become powerfully addictive | | 9. | crack - a usually brief attempt; "he took a crack at it"; "I gave it a whirl"attempt, effort, try, endeavor, endeavour - earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try" | | 10. | crack - the act of cracking something | | Verb | 1. | crack - become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated"change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" chink, check - make cracks or chinks in; "The heat checked the paint" crack - cause to become cracked; "heat and light cracked the back of the leather chair" crack - break partially but keep its integrity; "The glass cracked" | | 2. | crack - make a very sharp explosive sound; "His gun cracked"sound, go - make a certain noise or sound; "She went `Mmmmm'"; "The gun went `bang'" | | 3. | crack - make a sharp sound; "his fingers snapped"sound, go - make a certain noise or sound; "She went `Mmmmm'"; "The gun went `bang'" | | 4. | crack - hit forcefully; deal a hard blow, making a cracking noise; "The teacher cracked him across the face with a ruler"hit - deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument; "He hit her hard in the face" | | 5. | crack - pass through (a barrier); "Registrations cracked through the 30,000 mark in the county"go across, pass, go through - go across or through; "We passed the point where the police car had parked"; "A terrible thought went through his mind" | | 6. | crack - break partially but keep its integrity; "The glass cracked"crack, check, break - become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated" chap - crack due to dehydration; "My lips chap in this dry weather" craze - develop a fine network of cracks; "Crazed ceramics" alligator - crack and acquire the appearance of alligator hide, as from weathering or improper application; of paint and varnishes | | 7. | crack - break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension; "The pipe snapped" | | 8. | crack - gain unauthorized access computers with malicious intentions; "she cracked my password"; "crack a safe"break in, break - enter someone's (virtual or real) property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act; "Someone broke in while I was on vacation"; "They broke into my car and stole my radio!"; "who broke into my account last night?" | | 9. | crack - suffer a nervous breakdownsuffer, sustain, have, get - undergo (as of injuries and illnesses); "She suffered a fracture in the accident"; "He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars"; "She got a bruise on her leg"; "He got his arm broken in the scuffle" | | 10. | crack - tell spontaneously; "crack a joke"recount, narrate, tell, recite - narrate or give a detailed account of; "Tell what happened"; "The father told a story to his child" | | 11. | crack - cause to become cracked; "heat and light cracked the back of the leather chair"alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" crack, check, break - become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated" chink, check - make cracks or chinks in; "The heat checked the paint" fissure - break into fissures or fine cracks | | 12. | crack - reduce (petroleum) to a simpler compound by crackingchemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions | | 13. | crack - break into simpler molecules by means of heat; "The petroleum cracked"chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" | | Adj. | 1. |  crack - of the highest quality; "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"colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech superior - of high or superior quality or performance; "superior wisdom derived from experience"; "superior math students" |
crack verb 5. solve, work out, resolve, interpret, clarify, clear up, fathom, decipher, suss (out) ( slang) get to the bottom of, disentangle, elucidate, get the answer to noun 7. break, chink, gap, breach, fracture, rift, cleft, crevice, fissure, cranny, interstice crack up (Informal) 2. burst out laughing, laugh, fall about (laughing), guffaw, roar with laughter, be in stitches, split your sides  Translations crack [kræk] n → grieta; ( col) ( drug) → crack m (= attempt): to have a crack at sth → intentar algoadj [ athlete] → de primera clase;
 crack [kræk] n (= split) → fente f, fissure f; (inf) (= attempt); to have a crack (at sth) → essayer (qch);
 crack [kræk] n ( noise) → Knall m; ( of wood breaking) → Knacks m; ( in bone, dish, glass) → Sprung m; to crack jokes ( inf) → Witze reißen;
 crack [kræk] n (= split, slit) → fessura, crepa; incrinatura; ( col) (= attempt): to have a crack at sth → tentare qc; to get cracking ( col) → darsi una mossa
|
|
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
cracks a bottle
