crack
Break with a sharp sound
To break something quickly and with a loud sound.
to crack [something]
- She cracked the egg into the bowl.
- The ice cracked under his weight.
- He accidentally cracked the screen of his phone.
- The branch cracked and fell to the ground.
- I cracked the egg.
- He cracked the glass by mistake.
- The ice cracked under my feet.
- She cracked the window when she hit it.
Narrow break or split
A thin line in something where it has broken.
- There was a crack in the ceiling.
- She noticed a crack in her phone's screen.
- A crack formed in the ice as we walked across.
- I see a crack in the wall.
- There is a crack in my cup.
- The ice has a big crack.
Solve a difficult problem
To find the answer to a hard problem or mystery.
to crack [a code/problem/case]
- The police finally cracked the case.
- It took hours to crack the password.
- She cracked the puzzle in just five minutes.
- I cracked the game code.
- The police cracked the case.
- We cracked the hard puzzle.
Hit with force
To hit something hard and quickly.
to crack [someone/something]
- He cracked the ball over the fence.
- She cracked him on the arm playfully.
- The whip cracked loudly in the air.
- He cracked the ball far away.
- She cracked me on the shoulder.
- The whip cracked in the air.
Illegal cocaine-based drug
A dangerous illegal drug made from cocaine that people smoke.
- He was arrested for selling crack.
- Crack addiction has destroyed many lives.
- The police found crack in his apartment.
- He sold crack to people.
- Crack is very bad for health.
- The police took away his crack.
Open slightly with small gap
To open something only a little bit.
to crack [a door/window] open
- She cracked open the door to peek inside.
- I cracked the window to let in some fresh air.
- He cracked his eyes open and smiled.
- I cracked open the door.
- He cracked the window for air.
- She cracked her eyes open slowly.
- Base: crack
- Plural: crack, cracks
- Base: crack
- 3rd Person Singular: cracks
- Present Participle: cracking
- Past: cracked
crack down on
1Take strong action against something bad
To take strong action to stop something bad or illegal.
- The government is cracking down on illegal street racing.
- Police are cracking down on drug dealers.
crack open a book
1Start reading or studying again
To start reading or studying from a book after not doing it for some time.
- It's time to crack open a book and prepare for exams.
- He hasn't cracked open a book all semester.
crack up
1Suddenly laugh hard or suffer breakdown
To start laughing very hard, or sometimes, to have serious mental stress problems.
- He cracked up at the joke.
- She nearly cracked up from all the pressure.
fall through the cracks
1Be overlooked or forgotten by mistake
To be missed or forgotten by mistake in an organization or system.
- Some students fall through the cracks in large schools.
- Important details fell through the cracks during planning.
at the crack of dawn
1very, very early in the morning
Very, very early in the morning, at the moment the day first starts to get light.
- 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
2Very early in the morning at first light
At sunrise, when the first light appears in the morning.
- They set off at the crack of dawn.
- I'm waking up at the crack of dawn tomorrow.