CRACK

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does crack mean? 

• CRACK (noun)
  The noun CRACK has 10 senses:

1. a long narrow opening
2. a narrow opening
3. a long narrow depression in a surface
4. a sudden sharp noise
5. a chance to do something
6. witty remark
7. a blemish resulting from a break without complete separation of the parts
8. a purified and potent form of cocaine that is smoked rather than snorted
9. a usually brief attempt
10. the act of cracking something

  Familiarity information: CRACK used as a noun is familiar.

• CRACK (adjective)
  The adjective CRACK has 1 sense:

1. of the highest quality

  Familiarity information: CRACK used as an adjective is very rare.

• CRACK (verb)
  The verb CRACK has 12 senses:

1. become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
2. make a very sharp explosive sound
3. make a sharp sound
4. hit forcefully; deal a hard blow, making a cracking noise
5. pass through (a barrier)
6. break partially but keep its integrity
7. break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension
8. suffer a nervous breakdown
9. tell spontaneously
10. cause to become cracked
11. reduce (petroleum) to a simpler compound by cracking
12. break into simpler molecules by means of heat

  Familiarity information: CRACK used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CRACK (noun)

Sense 1

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A long narrow opening

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

scissure; crack; fissure; crevice; cleft

Hypernyms ("crack" is a kind of...):

gap; opening (an open or empty space in or between things)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "crack"):

vent; volcano (a fissure in the earth's crust (or in the surface of some other planet) through which molten lava and gases erupt)

split (a lengthwise crack in wood)

slit (a narrow fissure)

rift (a narrow fissure in rock)

break; fault; faulting; fracture; geological fault; shift ((geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other)

fatigue crack (a crack in metal resulting from metal fatigue)

crevasse (a deep fissure)

chink (a narrow opening as e.g. between planks in a wall)

chap (a crack in a lip caused usually by cold)

Sense 2

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A narrow opening

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

crack; gap

Context example:

he opened the window a crack

Hypernyms ("crack" is a kind of...):

opening (a vacant or unobstructed space that is man-made)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "crack"):

blank; lacuna (a blank gap or missing part)

spark gap (the gap between two high-potential terminals)

Sense 3

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A long narrow depression in a surface

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

cranny; crevice; fissure; chap; crack

Hypernyms ("crack" is a kind of...):

depression; impression; imprint (a concavity in a surface produced by pressing)

Sense 4

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A sudden sharp noise

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

cracking; crack; snap

Context examples:

the crack of a whip / he heard the cracking of the ice / he can hear the snap of a twig

Hypernyms ("crack" is a kind of...):

noise (sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound))

Sense 5

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A chance to do something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

shot; crack

Context example:

he wanted a shot at the champion

Hypernyms ("crack" is a kind of...):

chance; opportunity (a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Sense 6

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Witty remark

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

wisecrack; sally; quip; crack

Hypernyms ("crack" is a kind of...):

comment; remark (a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief)

Sense 7

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A blemish resulting from a break without complete separation of the parts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

there was a crack in the mirror

Hypernyms ("crack" is a kind of...):

blemish; defect; mar (a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "crack"):

craze (a fine crack in a glaze or other surface)

Sense 8

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A purified and potent form of cocaine that is smoked rather than snorted

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

tornado; crack

Hypernyms ("crack" is a kind of...):

cocain; cocaine (a narcotic (alkaloid) extracted from coca leaves; used as a surface anesthetic or taken for pleasure; can become powerfully addictive)

Sense 9

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A usually brief attempt

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

fling; whirl; offer; go; crack; pass

Context examples:

he took a crack at it / I gave it a whirl

Hypernyms ("crack" is a kind of...):

attempt; effort; endeavor; endeavour; try (earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something)

Sense 10

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

The act of cracking something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

cracking; fracture; crack

Hypernyms ("crack" is a kind of...):

break; breakage; breaking (the act of breaking something)

• CRACK (adjective)

Sense 1

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Of the highest quality

Synonyms:

topnotch; tiptop; super; first-rate; crack; ace; A-one; tops; fantastic

Context examples:

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

Similar:

superior (of high or superior quality or performance)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

• CRACK (verb)

Sense 1

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Become fractured; break or crack on the surface only

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

crack; check; break

Context example:

The glass cracked when it was heated

Hypernyms (to "crack" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "crack"):

crack (break partially but keep its integrity)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence examples:

The glass tubes crack
These glasses crack easily

Sense 2

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Make a very sharp explosive sound

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

His gun cracked

Hypernyms (to "crack" is one way to...):

go; sound (make a certain noise or sound)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 3

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Make a sharp sound

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

crack; snap

Context example:

his fingers snapped

Hypernyms (to "crack" is one way to...):

go; sound (make a certain noise or sound)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Hit forcefully; deal a hard blow, making a cracking noise

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

The teacher cracked him across the face with a ruler

Hypernyms (to "crack" is one way to...):

hit (deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody with something

Sentence example:

The fighter managed to crack his opponent

Sense 5

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Pass through (a barrier)

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

break through; crack

Context example:

Registrations cracked through the 30,000 mark in the county

Hypernyms (to "crack" is one way to...):

go across; go through; pass (go across or through)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 6

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Break partially but keep its integrity

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The glass cracked

Hypernyms (to "crack" is one way to...):

break; check; crack (become fractured; break or crack on the surface only)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "crack"):

chap (crack due to dehydration)

craze (develop a fine network of cracks)

alligator (crack and acquire the appearance of alligator hide, as from weathering or improper application; of paint and varnishes)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 7

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

snap; crack

Context example:

The rope snapped

Hypernyms (to "crack" is one way to...):

break; come apart; fall apart; separate; split up (become separated into pieces or fragments)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 8

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Suffer a nervous breakdown

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

crock up; crack up; collapse; break up; crack

Hypernyms (to "crack" is one way to...):

get; have; suffer; sustain (undergo (as of injuries and illnesses))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 9

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Tell spontaneously

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

crack a joke

Hypernyms (to "crack" is one way to...):

narrate; recite; recount; tell (narrate or give a detailed account of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 10

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Cause to become cracked

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

heat and light cracked the back of the leather chair

Hypernyms (to "crack" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "crack"):

fissure (break into fissures or fine cracks)

check; chink (make cracks or chinks in)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They crack the glass tubes

Sense 11

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Reduce (petroleum) to a simpler compound by cracking

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "crack" is one way to...):

break down; break up; decompose (separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts)

Cause:

crack (break into simpler molecules by means of heat)

Domain category:

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 12

crack [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Break into simpler molecules by means of heat

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The petroleum cracked

Hypernyms (to "crack" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Domain category:

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s