- 1[intransitive, transitive] to break without dividing into separate parts; to break something in this way The ice cracked as I stepped onto it. crack something He has cracked a bone in his arm. Her lips were dry and cracked.
- 2[intransitive, transitive] to break open or into pieces; to break something in this way + adv./prep. A chunk of the cliff had cracked off in a storm. (figurative) His face cracked into a smile. crack something to crack a nut crack something + adv./prep. She cracked an egg into the pan.
- 3[transitive] crack something/somebody (on/against something) to hit something or someone with a short hard blow I cracked my head on the low ceiling. He cracked me on the head with a ruler. make sound
- 4[intransitive, transitive] to make a sharp sound; to make something do this A shot cracked across the ridge. [no passive] crack something He cracked his whip and galloped away. of voice
- 5[intransitive] if your voice cracks, it changes in depth, volume, etc. suddenly and in a way that you cannot control In a voice cracking with emotion, he told us of his son's death. under pressure
- 6[intransitive] to no longer be able to function normally because of pressure Things are terrible at work and people are cracking under the strain. They questioned him for days before he cracked. The old institutions are cracking. find solution
- 7[transitive] crack something to find the solution to a problem, etc. ; to find the way to do something difficult to crack the enemy's code (informal) After a year in this job I think I've got it cracked!
- 8[transitive] crack something to find a way of stopping or defeating a criminal or an enemy Police have cracked a major drug ring. break into something
- 9[transitive, intransitive] to break into something illegally crack something At the age of sixteen, Johnny was already cracking safes. crack into something They cracked into the computer network and stole a lot of information. open bottle
- 10[transitive] crack (open) a bottle (informal) to open a bottle, especially of wine, and drink it a joke
- 11[transitive] crack a joke to tell a joke a smile
- 12[transitive] crack a smile to smile slightly or suddenly She was trying to appear very serious, but I saw her crack a smile. Idioms
verb jump to other results
NAmE//kræk//
breakVerb Forms present simple I / you / we / they crack he / she / it cracks
past simple cracked
-ing form cracking
to use your authority or power to make someone work very hard, usually by treating them in a strict way
to begin immediately and work quickly synonym get going There's a lot to do, so let's get cracking.
not as good as people say He's not nearly as good a writer as he's cracked up to be. Phrasal Verbscrack downcrack intocrack up
Check pronunciation: crack