crack
gb/kɹˈæk/ us/kɹˈæk/
A2
English
~ 4300
megrepeszt, felüt, megreped, repedés, megold, feltör, megfejt, megüt, rácsap, crack, résnyire kinyit
VERB
A2
1
Usage pattern:
to crack [something]
She cracked the egg into the bowl.
Felütötte a tojást a tálba.
The ice cracked under his weight.
A jég megrepedt a súlya alatt.
He accidentally cracked the screen of his phone.
The branch cracked and fell to the ground.
Learner examples
I cracked the egg.
Felütöttem a tojást.
He cracked the glass by mistake.
Véletlenül megrepesztette a poharat.
The ice cracked under my feet.
She cracked the window when she hit it.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'crack' with 'break'; 'crack' usually implies a partial break or a specific sound, not always complete separation.
Meaning
Break with a sharp sound
Collocations
crack an egg
|crack a window
|crack the glass
|crack the ice
Synonyms
snap (Implies breaking suddenly with a sharp sound, often for smaller or thinner objects.)
Antonyms
mend (Means to repair something that is broken.)
Themes
daily life
|materials
|construction
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To break something quickly and with a loud sound.
To cause something to break or split suddenly, often producing a sharp sound.
NOUN
A2
2
repedés
B1
There was a crack in the ceiling.
Repedés volt a mennyezeten.
She noticed a crack in her phone's screen.
Észrevett egy repedést a telefonja kijelzőjén.
A crack formed in the ice as we walked across.
Learner examples
I see a crack in the wall.
Látok egy repedést a falon.
There is a crack in my cup.
Van egy repedés a csészémen.
The ice has a big crack.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'crack' with 'gap'; a gap is usually wider and separates things completely.
Meaning
Narrow break or split
Collocations
hairline crack
|crack in the wall
|small crack
|deep crack
Synonyms
fissure (More formal; often used for geological or medical contexts.)
Antonyms
smoothness (Refers to having no breaks or irregularities.)
Themes
daily life
|materials
|daily_life
|housing
Definition
A thin line in something where it has broken.
A thin line or opening on a surface where it has broken without completely separating into pieces.
VERB
B1
3
Usage pattern:
to crack [a code/problem/case]
The police finally cracked the case.
A rendőrség végül megoldotta az ügyet.
It took hours to crack the password.
Órákba telt feltörni a jelszót.
She cracked the puzzle in just five minutes.
Learner examples
I cracked the game code.
Feltörtem a játék kódját.
The police cracked the case.
A rendőrség megoldotta az ügyet.
We cracked the hard puzzle.
Common mistake:
Learners may use 'open' instead of 'crack' when talking about solving puzzles; 'crack' is idiomatic for tough problems and codes.
Meaning
Solve a difficult problem
Collocations
crack a code
|crack the case
|crack the puzzle
Synonyms
solve (General term for finding an answer; does not carry the connotation of difficulty or secrecy.)
Antonyms
confuse (To make something less understandable or more puzzling.)
Themes
problem solving
|technology
|education
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To find the answer to a hard problem or mystery.
To figure out or understand something that is difficult to solve, such as a code, mystery, or puzzle.
VERB
B1
INFORMAL
4
Usage pattern:
to crack [someone/something]
He cracked the ball over the fence.
A kerítésen túlra ütötte a labdát.
She cracked him on the arm playfully.
Játékosan rácsapott a karjára.
The whip cracked loudly in the air.
Learner examples
He cracked the ball far away.
Jó messzire elütötte a labdát.
She cracked me on the shoulder.
Rácsapott a vállamra.
The whip cracked in the air.
Meaning
Hit with force
Collocations
crack someone on the head
|crack the ball
Synonyms
smack (Informal; suggests a quick, sharp hit.)
Antonyms
pat (A gentle touch instead of a hard hit.)
Themes
violence
|sports
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To hit something hard and quickly.
To strike someone or something sharply and with force, often producing a sound.
NOUN
B2
SLANG
5
crack
C1
He was arrested for selling crack.
Crack árusításáért tartóztatták le.
Crack addiction has destroyed many lives.
A crackfüggőség sok életet tönkretett.
The police found crack in his apartment.
Learner examples
He sold crack to people.
Crack nevű drogot árult az embereknek.
Crack is very bad for health.
A crack nagyon káros az egészségre.
The police took away his crack.
Meaning
Illegal cocaine-based drug
Collocations
smoke crack
|crack addict
Synonyms
cocaine base (Technical term for the same substance; used in formal contexts.)
Themes
crime
|health
|daily_life
Definition
A dangerous illegal drug made from cocaine that people smoke.
An illegal, highly addictive drug made by processing cocaine into small solid pieces for smoking.
VERB
A2
6
Usage pattern:
to crack [a door/window] open
She cracked open the door to peek inside.
Résnyire kinyitotta az ajtót, hogy benézzen.
I cracked the window to let in some fresh air.
Résnyire kinyitottam az ablakot, hogy bejöjjön egy kis friss levegő.
He cracked his eyes open and smiled.
Learner examples
I cracked open the door.
Résnyire kinyitottam az ajtót.
He cracked the window for air.
Résnyire kinyitotta az ablakot, hogy jöjjön be levegő.
She cracked her eyes open slowly.
Meaning
Open slightly with small gap
Collocations
crack open the door
|crack open a window
Synonyms
partially open (Describes opening something partly; lacks idiomatic force of 'crack'.)
Antonyms
shut tightly (To close completely without any gap.)
Themes
daily life
|daily_life
|housing
Definition
To open something only a little bit.
To open something just enough to create a narrow space or let in light or air.
Grammar
Dictionary form
crack
IPA
GB/kɹˈæk/
US/kɹˈæk/
Syllables & stress
crack (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (crack)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: crack
- Plural: crack, cracks
Verb
- Base: crack
- 3rd Person Singular: cracks
- Present Participle: cracking
- Past: cracked
Word family
Forms
cracks
noun
cracking
verb
cracked
verb
Related words
crackle
verb
cracker
noun
Expressions
crack down on
1/kɹˈæk dˈaʊn ˈɔn/
phrasal verb
Take strong action against something bad
To take strong action to stop something bad or illegal.
Examples
- The government is cracking down on illegal street racing.
- Police are cracking down on drug dealers.
crack open a book
1/kɹˈæk ˈoʊpən ə bˈʊk/
fixed phrase
informal
Start reading or studying again
To start reading or studying from a book after not doing it for some time.
Examples
- It's time to crack open a book and prepare for exams.
- He hasn't cracked open a book all semester.
crack up
1/kɹˈæk ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
informal
Suddenly laugh hard or suffer breakdown
To start laughing very hard, or sometimes, to have serious mental stress problems.
Examples
- He cracked up at the joke.
- She nearly cracked up from all the pressure.
fall through the cracks
1/fˈɔl θɹˈu ðə kɹˈæks/
idiom
Be overlooked or forgotten by mistake
To be missed or forgotten by mistake in an organization or system.
Examples
- Some students fall through the cracks in large schools.
- Important details fell through the cracks during planning.
at the crack of dawn
1/ˈæt ðə kɹˈæk əv dˈɔn/
idiom
informal
very, very early in the morning
Very, very early in the morning, at the moment the day first starts to get light.
Examples
- She gets up at the crack of dawn to go running.
- We had to catch a flight at the crack of dawn.
- The kids woke us up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning.
at the crack of dawn
2/ˈæt ðə kɹˈæk əv dˈɔn/
idiom
Very early in the morning at first light
At sunrise, when the first light appears in the morning.
Examples
- They set off at the crack of dawn.
- I'm waking up at the crack of dawn tomorrow.