26984 words

cracks

34 definitions • 46 examples
1
to break something so that it does not separate, but very thin lines appear on its surface, or to become broken in this way:

Examples:

A stone hit the window and cracked the glass.
I cracked my tooth as I fell.
The walls cracked and the roof collapsed in the earthquake.
2

Examples:

Stress and overwork are causing teachers to crack.
3
to fail as a result of problems:

Examples:

Their relationship began to crack after their child died.
4
If someone cracks, that person begins to feel weak and agrees that they have been defeated:

Examples:

He cracked during questioning and told us where to find the stolen goods.
5
to break something open, especially in order to reach or use what is inside:

Examples:

crack an egg Crack three eggs into a bowl and mix them together.
crack a nut He cracked the nuts with his hands.
crack open a nut The monkeys use stones to crack open hard nuts.
6
to get into someone else's computer system without permission and get information or do something illegal
8
to find a solution to a problem:

Examples:

crack a code They cracked the code and read the secret message.
I've been trying to solve this problem all week, but I still haven't cracked it.
9
to hit something or someone:

Examples:

crack something on something I cracked my head on the door.
crack something against something He fell, cracking his knee against the fence.
crack someone over the head They cracked him over the head with a baseball bat.
10
to make a sudden, short noise, or to cause something to make this noise:

Examples:

The whip cracked over the horses' heads.
crack your knuckles He's always cracking his knuckles (= pulling the joints of his fingers to make a noise).
11
If a voice cracks, its sound changes because the person is upset:

Examples:

crack with Her voice cracked with emotion as she told the story.
12
to make a joke or funny remark:

Examples:

crack a joke He's always cracking jokes.
13
to make chemical changes to the hydrocarbons (= chemical combinations of hydrogen and carbon) in oil as part of the process of refining it (= changing it from its natural state into petrol), or to go through this process:

Examples:

14
a very narrow space between parts of something:

Examples:

Cracks had appeared in the dry ground.
We peered through the crack in the floorboards.
figurative Cracks began to show in his façade of self-confidence.
15
so that there is a very small space:

Examples:

She opened the door just a crack to listen to the conversation.
16

Examples:

17
an attempt:

Examples:

crack at It was her first crack at beating the record.
have a crack Here's a question for anyone who wants to have a crack.
take a crack US It's not something I've done before, but I'll take a crack at it.
18

Examples:

Several kilos of crack were found in her luggage.
19
→
20
a method of getting into someone else's computer system:

Examples:

Find cracks for your shareware programs.
21
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22
excellent, or of the highest quality:

Examples:

23
to damage something by causing thin lines or spaces to appear on its surface; break slightly:

Examples:

[ I ] The concrete on the front of the building had begun to crack.
[ T ] The X-ray showed that she had cracked a bone in her foot.
24
to hit something hard:

Examples:

He fell backward, his head cracking against a tree.
25
to break something open, esp. in order to reach or use what is inside:

Examples:

He cracked three eggs into a mixing bowl.
26
If you crack a code (= message in symbols), you discover what it means.
27
to make a sudden, sharp noise or to cause something to make such a noise:

Examples:

[ I ] All around us the lightning was cracking.
28
to weaken and become less able to think in a reasonable way, esp. because of anxiety or fear:

Examples:

In spite of intense questioning for over eight hours, she never cracked.
29
to make a joke or amusing remark:

Examples:

Jerry’s always cracking jokes.
30
an attempt; a try:

Examples:

I’ve never tried to cook this before, but I thought I’d have a crack at it.
31
a joking remark that is critical of someone or slightly insulting:

Examples:

She’s always making cracks about how much I eat.
32
a thin line or space in the surface of something, usually a sign of damage:

Examples:

A series of cracks developed in the road surface.
33
A crack is also a narrow space:

Examples:

She opened the door a crack.
34

Examples:

The man’s a crack technician.

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