| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| crack |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  kr k |
| VERB: | Inflected forms: cracked, crack·ing, cracks
| | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To break or snap apart. 2. To make a sharp snapping sound. 3. To break without complete separation of parts; fissure: The mirror cracked. 4. To change sharply in pitch or timbre, as from hoarseness or emotion. Used of the voice. 5. To break down; fail: The defendant's composure finally began to crack. 6. To have a mental or physical breakdown: cracked under the pressure. 7. To move or go rapidly: was cracking along at 70 miles an hour. 8. Chemistry To break into simpler molecules by means of heat. | | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To cause to make a sharp snapping sound. 2. To cause to break without complete separation of parts: cracked the glass. 3a. To break with a sharp snapping sound. See synonyms at break. b. To crush (corn or wheat, for example) into small pieces. 4. To open to a slight extent: cracked the window to let in some air. 5. To strike with a sudden sharp sound. 6. 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 acknowledgement: finally cracked the “men-only” rule at the club. 7. To discover the solution to, especially after considerable effort: crack a code. 8. To cause (the voice) to crack. 9. Informal To tell (a joke), especially on impulse or in an effective manner. 10. To cause to have a mental or physical breakdown. 11. To impair or destroy: Their rude remarks cracked his equanimity. 12. To reduce (petroleum) to simpler compounds by cracking. | | NOUN: | 1. A sharp snapping sound, such as the report of a firearm. 2a. A partial split or break; a fissure. b. A slight narrow space: The window was open a crack. 3. A sharp resounding blow. 4a. A mental or physical impairment; a defect. b. A breaking, harshly dissonant vocal tone or sound, as in hoarseness. 5. An attempt or try: gave him a crack at the job; took a crack at photography. 6. A witty or sarcastic remark. See synonyms at joke. 7. A moment; an instant: at the crack of dawn. 8. Irish Fun; amusement. 9. Slang Crack cocaine. | | ADJECTIVE: | 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. 2a. 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. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English craken, from Old English cracian. See ger -2 in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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