crack

/kræk/
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crack

A baseball player makes a crack hit that sends the ball flying over the outfield fence.

Definition
  1. Noun:

    • A sudden sharp noise: A short, loud, sharp sound, like that of something breaking or a whip.
    • A narrow opening or fissure: A line on a surface where it has broken but not separated into pieces.
    • A brief attempt or opportunity: An attempt to do something, often for the first time.
    • A witty or sharp remark: A clever, often critical, comment.
    • A potent form of cocaine: A purified, smokable, and highly addictive form of the drug cocaine.
  2. Verb:

    • To break without complete separation: To develop a fissure or line of breakage, but not shatter.
    • To make a sudden sharp sound: To produce a short, loud, snapping noise.
    • To find a solution or break into: To solve a difficult problem or gain unauthorized access to a system.
    • To tell a joke: To say something humorous.
    • To hit sharply: To strike someone or something with a forceful blow.
    • To undergo a mental or emotional breakdown: To succumb to psychological stress.
    • To break down chemically: To decompose a complex substance (like petroleum) into simpler ones by applying heat.
  3. Adjective:

    • Of the highest quality; excellent: Used to describe someone or something that is first-rate or highly skilled.
Examples
  • Noun:

    • We heard a loud crack of thunder.
    • There's a small crack in the windshield.
    • I'd like to take a crack at solving this puzzle.
    • He made a funny crack about the weather.
  • Verb:

    • The ice began to crack under the pressure.
    • The hunter's rifle cracked in the distance.
    • It took her hours to crack the secret code.
    • He loves to crack jokes at parties.
    • The branch cracked him on the head as it fell.
  • Adjective:

    • She is a crack shot with a rifle.
    • They sent in a crack team of commandos.
Advanced Usage
  • "to crack a smile": to finally smile, often reluctantly.

    • The grumpy old man finally cracked a smile at the child's antics.
  • "to crack the whip": to act in a strict, demanding manner to get people to work harder.

    • The new manager isn't afraid to crack the whip to meet deadlines.
  • "to crack under pressure": to fail to cope with stress or a difficult situation.

    • Some athletes perform best in finals, while others crack under pressure.
  • "crack of dawn": the very first light of day; very early morning.

    • We have to get up at the crack of dawn to start the hike.
Variants and Related Words
  • Cracked (adj): Having cracks; or (informal) crazy, insane.

    • The cracked pavement is a tripping hazard.
    • His plan sounds completely cracked.
  • Cracker (n): A thin, crisp baked good; or (slang, offensive) a poor white person from the southern US; or a device or person that breaks into something (e.g., a safe-cracker).

    • She ate cheese and crackers.
  • Cracking (adj/n/adv): (Adj) Excellent. (N) The process of breaking down hydrocarbons. (Adv) Very.

    • We had a cracking good time at the party. (adj)
    • The cracking of petroleum is a key refining process. (n)
Synonyms
  • Noun (noise): Snap, pop, report.
  • Noun (fissure): Split, crevice, fracture.
  • Verb (break): Split, fracture, splinter.
  • Adjective (excellent): First-rate, top-notch, ace.
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Crack down (on): To start dealing with someone or something more strictly.

    • The police are cracking down on speeding in this neighborhood.
  • Crack up: To laugh uncontrollably; or to suffer a mental breakdown.

    • That comedian always cracks me up.
    • He's working so hard I think he's going to crack up.
  • Crack on (with): (British English) To continue doing something with determination.

    • We need to crack on with this project if we want to finish on time.
Related Idioms
  • A hard/tough nut to crack: A difficult problem to solve or person to understand or influence.

    • This math equation is a tough nut to crack.
  • Fall through the cracks: To be missed or neglected, often by a system.

    • Some students' needs fall through the cracks in large schools.
crack

A baseball player makes a crack hit that sends the ball flying over the outfield fence.

Adjective
  1. 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
Noun
  1. the act of cracking something
  2. a usually brief attempt
    • he took a crack at it
    • I gave it a whirl
  3. a purified and potent form of cocaine that is smoked rather than snorted; highly addictive
  4. a blemish resulting from a break without complete separation of the parts
    • there was a crack in the mirror
  5. witty remark
  6. a chance to do something
    • he wanted a shot at the champion
  7. a sudden sharp noise
    • the crack of a whip
    • he heard the cracking of the ice
    • he can hear the snap of a twig
  8. a long narrow depression in a surface
  9. a narrow opening
    • he opened the window a crack
  10. a long narrow opening
Verb
  1. break into simpler molecules by means of heat
    • The petroleum cracked
  2. reduce (petroleum) to a simpler compound by cracking
  3. cause to become cracked
    • heat and light cracked the back of the leather chair
  4. tell spontaneously
    • crack a joke
  5. suffer a nervous breakdown
  6. gain unauthorized access computers with malicious intentions
    • she cracked my password
    • crack a safe
  7. break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension
    • The pipe snapped
  8. break partially but keep its integrity
    • The glass cracked
  9. pass through (a barrier)
    • Registrations cracked through the 30,000 mark in the county
  10. hit forcefully; deal a hard blow, making a cracking noise
    • The teacher cracked him across the face with a ruler
  11. make a sharp sound
    • his fingers snapped
  12. make a very sharp explosive sound
    • His gun cracked
  13. become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
    • The glass cracked when it was heated