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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

crack.

To form cracks.

5 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/kɹæk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. To form cracks.

    intransitive
    It's been so dry, the ground is starting to crack.
  2. To break apart under force, stress, or pressure.

    intransitive
    When I tried to stand on the chair, it cracked.
  3. To become debilitated by psychological pressure.

    intransitive
    Anyone would crack after being hounded like that.
  4. To break down or yield, especially under interrogation or torture.

    intransitive
    When we showed him the pictures of the murder scene, he cracked.
  5. To make a cracking sound.

    intransitive
    The bat cracked with authority and the ball went for six.
  6. To change rapidly in register.

    intransitive
    His voice cracked with emotion.
  7. To alternate between high and low register in the process of eventually lowering.

    intransitive
    His voice finally cracked when he was fourteen.
  8. To make a sharply humorous comment.

    intransitive
    "I would too, with a face like that," she cracked.
  9. To realize that one is transgender.

    intransitive
    She cracked at age 22 and came out to her friends and family over the next few months.
  10. To make a crack or cracks in.

    transitive
    The ball cracked the window.
  11. To break open or crush to small pieces by impact or stress.

    transitive
    You'll need a hammer to crack a black walnut.
  12. To strike forcefully.

    transitive
    She cracked him over the head with her handbag.
    I cracked myhead on a beam.
  13. To open slightly.

    transitive
    Could you please crack the window?
  14. To cause to yield under interrogation or other pressure.

    figuratively · transitive
    They managed to crack him on the third day.
  15. To solve a difficult problem.

    figuratively · transitive
    I've finally cracked it, and of course the answer is obvious in hindsight.
  16. To overcome a security system or component.

    transitive
    It took a minute to crack the lock, three minutes to crack the security system, and about twenty minutes to crack the safe.
    They finally cracked the code.
  17. To cause to make a sharp sound.

    transitive
    to crack a whip
  18. To tell (a joke).

    transitive
    The performance was fine until he cracked that dead baby joke.
  19. To break down (a complex molecule), especially with the application of heat: to pyrolyse.

    transitive
    Acetone is cracked to ketene and methane at 700°C.
  20. To circumvent software restrictions such as regional coding or time limits.

    transitive
    That software licence will expire tomorrow unless we can crack it.
  21. To open a canned beverage, or any packaged drink or food.

    informal · transitive
    I'd love to crack open a beer.
    Let's crack a tube and watch the game.
  22. To brag; to boast.

    obsolete
  23. To be ruined or impaired; to fail.

    archaic · colloquial
  24. To barely reach or attain (a measurement or extent).

    colloquial
    An underground band that never cracked the Hot 100
  25. To have sex with a female or feminine person for the first time, especially penetrative sex.

    Did you hear about Josh cracking Stacy in the school hall?
  26. To have sex with a female or feminine person for the first time, especially penetrative sex. To have sex.

    usually
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- Proto-Indo-European *gerg-der. Proto-West Germanic *krakōn Old English cracian Middle English crakken English crack From Middle English crakken, craken, from Old English cracian (“to resound, crack”), from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn (“to crack, crackle, shriek”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- (“to resound, cry hoarsely”). Cognate with Scots crak (“to crack”), West Frisian kreakje (“to crack”), Dutch kraken (“to crunch, creak, squeak”), Low German kraken (“to crack”), German krachen (“to crash, crack, creak”), Lithuanian gi̇̀rgžděti (“to creak, squeak”), Old Armenian կարկաչ (karkačʻ), Sanskrit गर्जति (gárjati, “to roar, hum”). Compare typologically English crevice (<< Latin crepō), Bulgarian пукнатина (puknatina) (akin to пу́кам (púkam)), Russian тре́щина (tréščina) (akin to треск (tresk)), щель (ščelʹ) (akin to щёлкать (ščólkatʹ)).

noun/kɹæk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. A thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material.

    countable · uncountable
    A large crack had formed in the roadway.
  2. A narrow opening.

    countable · uncountable
    We managed to squeeze through a crack in the rock wall.
    Open the door a crack.
  3. A sharply humorous comment; a wisecrack.

    countable · figuratively · slang · uncountable
    I didn't appreciate that crack about my hairstyle.
  4. A flaw, weakness, setback, or insecurity.

    countable · figuratively · slang · uncommon · uncountable
  5. Crack cocaine, a potent, relatively cheap, addictive variety of cocaine; often a rock, usually smoked through a crack pipe.

    countable · slang · uncountable
    crack head
  6. Something pleasurable (good-tasting or appealing) and habit-forming.

    broadly · countable · figuratively · humorous · slang · uncountable
    kitty crack
    Her love was crack to me, and I was hooked real bad.
  7. The sharp sound made when solid material breaks.

    countable · onomatopoeic · uncountable
    The crack of the falling branch could be heard for miles.
  8. Any sharp sound.

    countable · onomatopoeic · uncountable
    The crack of the bat hitting the ball.
  9. A sharp, resounding blow.

    countable · uncountable
  10. An attempt at something.

    countable · slang · uncountable
    I'd like to take a crack at that game.
  11. The vagina.

    countable · slang · uncountable · vulgar
  12. The space between the buttocks.

    countable · slang · uncountable · vulgar
    Pull up your pants! Your crack is showing.
  13. Conviviality; fun; good conversation, chat, gossip, or humorous storytelling; good company.

    Ireland · Northern-England · Scotland · countable · uncountable
    The party was great crack.
    He's good crack. [It's nice having him around]
  14. A chat.

    Cumbria · Northern-UK · countable · uncountable
  15. Business; events; news.

    Ireland · Northern-England · Scotland · countable · uncountable
    What's the crack?
    What's this crack about a possible merger?
  16. A program or procedure designed to circumvent restrictions or usage limits on software.

    countable · uncountable
    Has anyone got a crack for DocumentWriter 3.0?
  17. An expanding circle of white water surrounding the site of a large explosion at shallow depth, marking the progress of the shock wave through the air above the water.

    US · countable · dated · uncountable
  18. Extremely silly, absurd or off-the-wall ideas or prose.

    Internet · countable · uncountable
  19. The tone of voice when changed at puberty.

    countable · uncountable
  20. A mental flaw; a touch of craziness; partial insanity.

    archaic · countable · uncountable
    He has a crack.
  21. A crazy or crack-brained person.

    archaic · countable · uncountable
  22. A boast; boasting.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
  23. Breach of chastity.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
  24. A boy, generally a pert, lively boy.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
  25. A brief time; an instant; a jiffy.

    UK · countable · dated · slang · uncountable
    I'll be with you in a crack.
  26. The act of hitting on someone.

    countable · dated · uncountable
  27. Dry firewood.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- Proto-Indo-European *gerg-der. Proto-West Germanic *krakōn Old English cracian Middle English crakken English crack From Middle English crakken, craken, from Old English cracian (“to resound, crack”), from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn (“to crack, crackle, shriek”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- (“to resound, cry hoarsely”). Cognate with Scots crak (“to crack”), West Frisian kreakje (“to crack”), Dutch kraken (“to crunch, creak, squeak”), Low German kraken (“to crack”), German krachen (“to crash, crack, creak”), Lithuanian gi̇̀rgžděti (“to creak, squeak”), Old Armenian կարկաչ (karkačʻ), Sanskrit गर्जति (gárjati, “to roar, hum”). Compare typologically English crevice (<< Latin crepō), Bulgarian пукнатина (puknatina) (akin to пу́кам (púkam)), Russian тре́щина (tréščina) (akin to треск (tresk)), щель (ščelʹ) (akin to щёлкать (ščólkatʹ)).

adj/kɹæk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. Highly trained and competent.

    not-comparable
    Even a crack team of investigators would have trouble solving this case.
  2. Excellent, first-rate, superior, top-notch.

    not-comparable
    She's a crack shot with that rifle.
Where this word comes from

Slang first attested 1793, perhaps from the verb in the sense of doing something quickly or with intelligence, or in the sense of "speaking boastingly" and having something to be proud of.

noun/kɹæk/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. One who excels; the best, especially a winning racehorse.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

Slang first attested 1793, perhaps from the verb in the sense of doing something quickly or with intelligence, or in the sense of "speaking boastingly" and having something to be proud of.

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Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.