crack up

Definition

Verb (intransitive):
- To laugh uncontrollably or very hard: To experience a sudden, intense, and often loud burst of laughter.
- To suffer a mental or emotional breakdown: To collapse under pressure, leading to a state where one can no longer function normally due to stress, anxiety, or emotional strain.
Verb (transitive, usually passive: "be cracked up"):
- To be praised or highly regarded (often used in negative or questioning constructions): To have a reputation for being something, though that reputation may be exaggerated or untrue.

Usage Examples

Verb (intransitive - to laugh):
- The comedian's joke was so funny, the entire audience cracked up.
- I cracked up when I saw the puppy trying to chase its own tail.
Verb (intransitive - to have a breakdown):
- After working 80-hour weeks for six months, he finally cracked up and had to take a leave of absence.
- The constant pressure of the job caused her to crack up.
Verb (transitive - to be praised):
- This restaurant isn't all it's cracked up to be; the food was quite average.
- Is the new software really as good as it's cracked up to be?

Advanced Usage

"to crack someone up": To cause someone to laugh uncontrollably.
- His silly impressions always crack me up.
"crack-up" (noun): An instance of laughing very hard or a nervous breakdown.
- She had a minor crack-up after the car accident and needed therapy.
- That story was a real crack-up!

Variants and Related Words

Breakdown (n): A collapse in mental health or functioning; synonymous with the "nervous breakdown" meaning.
Hysterics (n): Uncontrollable laughter or emotional outburst.
Rave about (v): To praise enthusiastically; related to the "highly regarded" meaning.

Synonyms

For laughing: Roar with laughter, howl, guffaw, lose it (informal).
For breaking down: Have a breakdown, collapse, go to pieces, snap (informal).
For being praised: Be reputed, be touted, be hailed.

Related Phrasal Verbs

Crack down (on): To start dealing with something or someone more strictly.
- The police are cracking down on speeding in this neighborhood.
Crack on (with): To continue doing something with determination.
- We need to crack on with this project if we want to finish on time.

Related Idioms

Not all it's cracked up to be: Not as good as people say it is.
- Fame and fortune are often not all they're cracked up to be.
Crack a joke: To tell a joke.
- He's always cracking jokes to lighten the mood.

Verb

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