I. ˈkrak verb
Etymology: Middle English crakken, from Old English cracian; akin to Old High German chrahhōn to resound
Date: before 12th century
intransitive verb
1. : to make a very sharp explosive sound
the whip crack s through the air
2. : to break, split, or snap apart
3. : fail : as
a. : to lose control or effectiveness under pressure — often used with up
b. : to fail in tone
his voice crack ed
4. : to go or travel at good speed — usually used with on
the steamboat crack ed on
transitive verb
1.
a. : to break so that fissures appear on the surface
crack a mirror
b. : to break with a sudden sharp sound
crack nuts
2. : to tell especially suddenly or strikingly
crack a joke
3. : to strike with a sharp noise : rap
then crack s him over the head
crack ed a two-run homer in the fifth — New York Times
4.
a.
(1) : to open (as a bottle) for drinking
(2) : to open (a book) for studying
b. : to puzzle out and expose, solve, or reveal the mystery of
crack a code
c. : to break into
crack a safe
d. : to open slightly
crack the throttle
e. : to break through (as a barrier) so as to gain acceptance or recognition
f. : to show or begin showing (a smile) especially reluctantly or uncharacteristically
5.
a. : to impair seriously or irreparably : wreck
crack an opponent's courage
b. : to destroy the tone of (a voice)
c. : disorder , craze
d. : to interrupt sharply or abruptly
the criticism crack ed our complacency
6. : to cause to make a sharp noise
crack s his knuckles
7.
a.
(1) : to subject (hydrocarbons) to cracking
(2) : to produce by cracking
crack ed gasoline
b. : to break up (chemical compounds) into simpler compounds by means of heat
•
- crack the whip
- crack wise
II. noun
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : a loud roll or peal
a crack of thunder
b. : a sudden sharp noise
the crack of rifle fire
2. : a sharp witty remark : quip
3.
a. : a narrow break : fissure
a crack in the ice
b. : a narrow opening
leave the door open a crack
crack s between floorboards
— used figuratively in phrases like fall through the cracks to describe one that has been improperly or inadvertently ignored or left out
a player who fell through the crack s in the college draft
children slipping through the crack s of available youth services
4.
a. : a weakness or flaw caused by decay, age, or deficiency : unsoundness
b. : a broken tone of the voice
c. : crackpot
5. : moment , instant
the crack of dawn
6. : housebreaking , burglary
7. : a sharp resounding blow
gave him a crack on the head
8. : an attempt or opportunity to do something
her first crack at writing a novel
got first crack at the job opening
9. : a potent form of cocaine that is obtained by treating the hydrochloride of cocaine with sodium bicarbonate to create small chips used illicitly for smoking — called also crack cocaine
III. adjective
Date: 1793
: of superior excellence or ability
a crack marksman