I. VERB USES
(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
If something hard ~s, or if you ~ it, it becomes slightly damaged, with lines appearing on its surface.
A gas main had ~ed under my neighbour’s garage and gas had seeped into our homes...
Remove the dish from the oven, ~ the salt crust and you will find the skin just peels off the fish.
VERB: V, V n
2.
If something ~s, or if you ~ it, it makes a sharp sound like the sound of a piece of wood breaking.
Thunder ~ed in the sky...
He ~ed his fingers nervously.
VERB: V, V n
3.
If you ~ a hard part of your body, such as your knee or your head, you hurt it by accidentally hitting it hard against something.
He ~ed his head on the pavement and was knocked cold.
= bang, bash
VERB: V n
4.
When you ~ something that has a shell, such as an egg or a nut, you break the shell in order to reach the inside part.
Crack the eggs into a bowl.
= break
VERB: V n
5.
If you ~ a problem or a code, you solve it, especially after a lot of thought.
He has finally ~ed the system after years of painstaking research.
VERB: V n
6.
If someone ~s, they lose control of their emotions or actions because they are under a lot of pressure. (INFORMAL)
She’s calm and strong, and she is just not going to ~...
VERB: V
7.
If your voice ~s when you are speaking or singing, it changes in pitch because you are feeling a strong emotion.
Her voice ~ed and she began to cry.
VERB: V
8.
If you ~ a joke, you tell it.
He ~ed jokes and talked about beer and girls.
VERB: V n
9.
see also ~ed , ~ing
10.
If you say that something is not all it’s ~ed up to be, you mean that it is not as good as other people have said it is. (INFORMAL)
Package holidays are not always all they’re ~ed up to be.
PHRASE: V inflects
II. NOUN AND ADJECTIVE USES
(~s)
1.
A ~ is a very narrow gap between two things, or between two parts of a thing.
Kathryn had seen him through a ~ in the curtains.
= chink
N-COUNT
2.
If you open something such as a door, window, or curtain a ~, you open it only a small amount.
He went to the door, opened it a ~, and listened.
N-SING
3.
A ~ is a line that appears on the surface of something when it is slightly damaged.
The plate had a ~ in it...
Hundreds of office buildings and homes developed large ~s in walls and ceilings.
N-COUNT
4.
A ~ is a sharp sound, like the sound of a piece of wood breaking.
Suddenly there was a loud ~ and glass flew into the car...
‘Crack!’–The first shot rang out, hitting Paolo.
N-COUNT; SOUND
5.
If you have or take a ~ at something, you make an attempt to do or achieve something. (INFORMAL)
I should love to have a ~ at the Olympia title in my last year...
= go, shot
N-SING: N at n/-ing
6.
A ~ is a slightly rude or cruel joke.
When Paul made the ~ about the ‘famous girl detective’, I began to suspect that he had it in for you.
N-COUNT
7.
Crack is a very pure form of the drug cocaine.
N-UNCOUNT
see also ~ cocaine
8.
A ~ soldier or sportsman is highly trained and very skilful.
...a ~ undercover police officer...
ADJ: ADJ n
9.
see also craic
10.
If you say that someone does something at the ~ of dawn, you are emphasizing that they do it very early in the morning.
I often start work at the ~ of dawn when there is a big order to get out.
PHRASE: PHR after v emphasis