crack up

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crack

(krăk)

v. cracked, crack·ing, cracks

v.intr.

a. To break without complete separation of parts: The mirror cracked.

b. To break or snap apart: The branch cracked off and fell.

2. To make a sharp snapping sound: His knees cracked as he sat down.

a. To break down; fail: The defendant's composure finally began to crack.

b. To have a mental or physical breakdown: cracked under the pressure.

4. To change sharply in pitch or timbre, as from hoarseness or emotion. Used of the voice.

5. To move or go rapidly: was cracking along at 70 miles an hour.

6. Chemistry To break into simpler molecules, often by means of heat or a catalyst.

v.tr.

a. To cause to break without complete separation of parts: The pebble cracked the car's windshield. See Synonyms at break.

b. To cause to break with a sharp snapping sound: crack nuts.

c. To crush (corn or wheat, for example) into small pieces.

a. To strike, especially with a sharp sound: cracked the intruder over the head with a lamp.

b. To cause to come into forceful contact with something, especially with a sharp sound: fell and cracked his head against the floor.

3. To open to a slight extent: crack a window to let in some air.

4. 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 acknowledgment: finally cracked the "men-only" rule at the club.

5. To discover the solution to, especially after considerable effort: crack a code.

6. To cause (the voice) to crack.

7. Informal To tell (a joke), especially on impulse or in an effective manner.

8. To cause to have a mental or physical breakdown.

9. To impair or destroy: Their rude remarks cracked his equanimity.

10. To reduce (petroleum) to simpler compounds by cracking.

a. A partial split or break; a fissure: cracks in the basement wall.

b. A slight narrow space: The window was open a crack.

c. Informal The fissure between the buttocks.

2. A defect or flaw: cracks in the argument; a crack in his composure.

3. A sharp snapping sound, such as the report of a firearm.

4. A sharp resounding blow: gave him a crack on the head.

5. A breaking, harshly dissonant vocal tone or sound, as in hoarseness.

6. An attempt or try: gave him a crack at the job; took a crack at photography.

7. A witty or sarcastic remark. See Synonyms at joke.

8. A moment; an instant: at the crack of dawn.

9. Irish Fun had when socializing; social amusement.

10. 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.

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 gerə- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

crack up

vb (adverb)

1. (intr) to break into pieces

2. (intr) informal to undergo a physical or mental breakdown

3. (Pathology) (tr) informal to present or report, esp in glowing terms: it's not all it's cracked up to be.

4. informal chiefly US and Canadian to laugh or cause to laugh uproariously or uncontrollably

5. (Pathology) a physical or mental breakdown

6. a collapse

7. US a crash

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	crack up - suffer a nervous breakdown crock up, collapse, break up, crack suffer, 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"
	2.	crack up - rhapsodize about exalt, extol, glorify, laud, proclaim - praise, glorify, or honor; "extol the virtues of one's children"; "glorify one's spouse's cooking"
	3.	crack up - laugh unrestrainedly break up express joy, express mirth, laugh - produce laughter

crack

verb

1. To undergo partial breaking:

fissure, fracture, rupture, split.

2. To make a sudden sharp, explosive noise:

bang, bark, clap, pop, snap.

3. To find the key to (a code, for example):

break, decipher, decrypt, puzzle out.

4. To give way mentally and emotionally:

break (down), collapse, snap.

Informal: crack up, fold.

5. To suddenly lose all health or strength:

break (down), cave in, collapse, drop, give out, succumb.

Informal: crack up.

Slang: conk out.

Idiom: give way.

phrasal verb
crack up

1. Informal. To undergo wrecking:

crash, smash.

Informal: pile up.

2. Informal. To give way mentally and emotionally:

break (down), collapse, crack, snap.

Informal: fold.

3. Informal. To suddenly lose all health or strength:

break (down), cave in, collapse, crack, drop, give out, succumb.

Slang: conk out.

Idiom: give way.

noun

1. A sudden sharp, explosive noise:

bang, bark, clap, explosion, pop, rat-a-tat-tat, report, snap.

2. A usually narrow partial opening caused by splitting and rupture:

break, chink, cleavage, cleft, crevice, fissure, rift, split.

3. A sudden sharp, powerful stroke:

bang, blow, clout, hit, lick, pound, slug, sock, swat, thwack, welt, whack, wham, whop.

Informal: bash, biff, bop, clip, wallop.

Slang: belt, conk, paste.

4. A trying to do or make something:

attempt, effort, endeavor, essay, go, offer, stab, trial, try.

Informal: shot.

Slang: take.

Archaic: assay.

5. A brief trial:

go, stab, try.

Informal: fling, shot, whack, whirl.

6. A flippant or sarcastic remark:

dig, quip.

Slang: wisecrack.

7. A very brief time:

flash, instant, minute, moment, second, trice, twinkle, twinkling, wink.

Informal: jiff, jiffy.

Chiefly British: tick.

adjective

Having or demonstrating a high degree of knowledge or skill:

adept, expert, master, masterful, masterly, professional, proficient, skilled, skillful.

Slang: crackerjack.

Translations

esaltare

w>crack up

(= break into pieces) → zerbrechen; (road surface, lips) → aufspringen, rissig werden; (ice) → brechen; (machine, plane) → auseinanderbrechen, auseinanderfallen; (make-up) → rissig werden

(fig inf, person) → durchdrehen (inf); (under strain) → zusammenbrechen; (= have a mental breakdown) → einen Nervenzusammenbruch haben; (organization) → auseinanderfallen, zusammenbrechen; (= lose ability, strength: athlete etc) → abbauen; I/he must be cracking up (hum) → so fängts an (inf); she cracked up in the witness box → sie brach auf der Zeugenbank zusammen

vt sep (inf) he’s/it’s not all he’s/it’s cracked up to be → so toll ist er/es dann auch wieder nicht; he’s cracked up to be some sort of genius → er wird als eine Art Genie gepriesen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

References in periodicals archive ?

It is feared that the pipeline laid in Tannery Zone would not be able to withstand to water pressure after sometime and will crack up if water is not released into the pipes now which amounts to wastage of precious resources.

KWSB buries Rs44 million in Tannery Zone

He's discovered jokes, and makes them up, but every single punchline is "because they needed a poo" - and call me childish, but we crack up every single time.

It's the way he tells them

As a subscriber to both your magazine and Playgirl, a favorite pastime of mine has been to locate the gay models who pose in Playgirl and crack up at the "interviews" where they announce themselves triumphantly heterosexual.