English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English crakken, craken, from Old English cracian (“to resound, crack”), from Proto-Germanic *krakōną (“to crack, crackle, shriek”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- (“to resound, cry hoarsely”). Cognate with Scots crak (“to crack”), West Frisian kreakje (“to crack”), Dutch kraken (“to crunch, creak, squeak”), Low German kraken (“to crack”), German krachen (“to crash, crack, creak”), Lithuanian gìrgžděti (“to creak, squeak”), Old Armenian կարկաչ (karkačʻ), Sanskrit गर्जति (gárjati, “to roar, hum”).
Verb
crack (third-person singular simple present cracks, present participle cracking, simple past and past participle cracked)
- (intransitive) To form cracks.
- It's been so dry, the ground is starting to crack.
- (intransitive) To break apart under pressure.
- When I tried to stand on the chair, it cracked.
- (intransitive) To become debilitated by psychological pressure.
- Anyone would crack after being hounded like that.
- (intransitive) To break down or yield, especially under interrogation or torture.
- When we showed him the pictures of the murder scene, he cracked.
- (intransitive) To make a cracking sound.
- The bat cracked with authority and the ball went for six.
- (intransitive, of a voice) To change rapidly in register.
- His voice cracked with emotion.
- (intransitive, of a pubescent boy's voice) To alternate between high and low register in the process of eventually lowering.
- His voice finally cracked when he was fourteen.
- (intransitive) To make a sharply humorous comment.
- "I would too, with a face like that," she cracked.
- (transitive) To make a crack or cracks in.
- The ball cracked the window.
- (transitive) To break open or crush to small pieces by impact or stress.
- You'll need a hammer to crack a black walnut.
- (transitive) To strike forcefully.
- She cracked him over the head with her handbag.
- (transitive) To open slightly.
- Could you please crack the window?
- (transitive) To cause to yield under interrogation or other pressure. (Figurative)
- They managed to crack him on the third day.
- (transitive) To solve a difficult problem. (Figurative, from cracking a nut.)
- I've finally cracked it, and of course the answer is obvious in hindsight.
- (transitive) To overcome a security system or a component.
- It took a minute to crack the lock, three minutes to crack the security system, and about twenty minutes to crack the safe.
- They finally cracked the code.
- (transitive) To cause to make a sharp sound.
- to crack a whip
2001, Doug McGuinn, The Apple Indians:Hershell cracked his knuckles, a nervous habit that drove Inez crazy […]
- (transitive) To tell (a joke).
- The performance was fine until he cracked that dead baby joke.
- (transitive, chemistry, informal) To break down (a complex molecule), especially with the application of heat: to pyrolyse.
- Acetone is cracked to ketene and methane at 700°C.
- (transitive, computing) To circumvent software restrictions such as regional coding or time limits.
- That software licence will expire tomorrow unless we can crack it.
- (transitive, informal) To open a canned beverage, or any packaged drink or food.
- I'd love to crack open a beer.
- Let's crack a tube and watch the game.
- (obsolete) To brag, boast.
1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy, […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section 4, member 1, subsection v:Cardan cracks that he can cure all diseases with water alone, as Hippocrates of old did most infirmities with one medicine.
- (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Ethoipes of their sweet complexion crack.
- (archaic, colloquial) To be ruined or impaired; to fail.
- (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- The credit […] of exchequers cracks, when little comes in and much goes out.
Derived terms
Related terms
- crazed (exhibiting fine-line cracks)
Translations
to break apart under pressure
to become debilitated by psychological pressure
to yield under interrogation
of voice: to change rapidly in register
of boy's voice: to alternate between high and low register in the process of eventually lowering
to make a crack or cracks in
to break open or crush to small pieces
to cause to yield under interrogation or other pressure
to solve a difficult problem
to overcome a security system or a component
to cause to make a sharp sound
to break down, especially with the application of heat
to circumvent software restrictions
to open a canned beverage etc.
to be ruined or impaired; to fail
Translations to be checked
See also
Noun
crack (countable and uncountable, plural cracks)
- A thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material.
- A large crack had formed in the roadway.
- A narrow opening.
- We managed to squeeze through a crack in the rock wall.
- Open the door a crack.
2011 January 25, Phil McNulty, “Blackpool 2 - 3 Man Utd”, in BBC[1]:Dimitar Berbatov found the first cracks in the home side's resilience when he pulled one back from close range and Hernandez himself drew the visitors level with a composed finish three minutes later as Bloomfield Road's earlier jubilation turned to despair.
- A sharply humorous comment; a wisecrack.
- I didn't appreciate that crack about my hairstyle.
- A potent, relatively cheap, addictive variety of cocaine; often a rock, usually smoked through a crack-pipe.
- (onomatopoeia) The sharp sound made when solid material breaks.
- The crack of the falling branch could be heard for miles.
- (onomatopoeia) Any sharp sound.
- The crack of the bat hitting the ball.
2011 June 28, Piers Newbery, “Wimbledon 2011: Sabine Lisicki beats Marion Bartoli”, in BBC Sport[2]:She broke to love in the opening game, only for Bartoli to hit straight back in game two, which was interrupted by a huge crack of thunder that made Lisicki jump and prompted nervous laughter from the 15,000 spectators.
- (informal) An attempt at something.
- I'd like to take a crack at that game.
- (vulgar, slang) Vagina.
- I'm so horny even the crack of dawn isn't safe!
- (informal) The space between the buttocks.
- Pull up your pants! Your crack is showing.
- (Northern England, Scotland, Ireland) Conviviality; fun; good conversation, chat, gossip, or humorous storytelling; good company.
- 2001, William F. Gray, The Villain, iUniverse, p. 214:
- Being a native of Northumberland, she was enjoying their banter and Geordie good humour. This was what she needed — good company and good crack.
- 2004, Bill Griffiths, Dictionary of North East Dialect, Northumbria University Press (quoting Dunn, 1950)
- "his a bit o' good crack — interesting to talk to"
- 2006, Patrick McCabe, Winterwood, Bloomsbury 2007, p. 10:
- By the time we've got a good drunk on us there'll be more crack in this valley than the night I pissed on the electric fence!
- The crack was good.
- That was good crack.
- He/she is quare good crack.
- The party was great crack.
- (Northern England, Scotland, Ireland) Business; events; news.
- What's the crack?
- What's this crack about a possible merger.
- (computing) A program or procedure designed to circumvent restrictions or usage limits on software.
- Has anyone got a crack for DocumentWriter 3.0?
- (Cumbria, elsewhere throughout the North of the UK) a meaningful chat.
- (Internet slang) Extremely silly, absurd or off-the-wall ideas or prose.
- The tone of voice when changed at puberty.
- a. 1611, William Shakespeare, Cymbeline, Act 4, Scene 2
- And let us, Polydore, though now our voices / Have got the mannish crack, sing him to the ground, …
- (archaic) A mental flaw; a touch of craziness; partial insanity.
- He has a crack.
- (archaic) A crazy or crack-brained person.
- (Can we date this quote by Addison and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- I […] can not get the Parliament to listen to me, who look upon me as a crack and a projector.
- (obsolete) A boast; boasting.
- (Can we date this quote by Burton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- crack and brags
- (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- vainglorious cracks
- (obsolete) Breach of chastity.
- (obsolete) A boy, generally a pert, lively boy.
- (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- - 'Tis a noble child.
- A crack, madam.
- (slang, dated, UK) A brief time; an instant; a jiffy.
- I'll be with you in a crack.
Usage notes
- (Scots language, common in lowland Scotland and Ulster, conviviality): In the last few decades the word has been adopted into Gaelic; as there is no "k" in the Irish language the spelling craic has been devised.
Synonyms
- (vulgar: space between the buttocks): bum crack (UK), arse crack (UK), ass crack (US)
- (cocaine that is heat-altered at the moment of inhalation): crack cocaine
- (A crazy or crack-brained person): crackpot
Translations
thin space opened in a previously solid material
- Armenian: ճաք (hy) (čakʻ)
- Assamese: ফাট (phat), ফাঁক (phãk)
- Bashkir: ярыҡ (yarıq)
- Belarusian: трэ́шчына f (tréščyna), раско́ліна f (raskólina)
- Bengali: ফাটল (phaṭol)
- Bulgarian: пукнатина (bg) f (puknatina), цепнатина (bg) f (cepnatina)
- Catalan: esquerda (ca) f, escletxa (ca) f
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 裂縫/裂缝 (zh) (lièfèng), 裂缝 (zh) (lièfèng), 裂紋/裂纹 (zh) (lièwén), 裂纹 (zh) (lièwén)
- Czech: trhlina f, prasklina (cs) f, puklina f
- Danish: sprække c
- Dutch: barst (nl), breuk (nl)
- Finnish: halkeama (fi)
- French: fissure (fr) f
- Galician: laña f, fenda f, rachón m
- Georgian: ბზარი (bzari)
- German: Ritze (de) f, Sprung (de) m, Riss (de) m, Spalte (de) m
- Alemannic German: Chlack m
- Greek: ρωγμή (el) f (rogmí), ρήγμα (el) n (rígma), ράγισμα (el) n (rágisma)
- Hungarian: repedés (hu)
- Icelandic: sprunga f
- Italian: crepa (it), fessura (it) f, intercapedine (it) f
- Japanese: ひび (hibi), 亀裂 (きれつ, kiretsu), 裂け目 (さけめ, sakeme)
- Korean: 틈 (ko) (teum)
- Kurdish:
- Sorani: Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "ku" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E.
- (deprecated template usage)
{{trans-mid}}
- Latgalian: škāla, pleisums, spruogste
- Latin: rīma f
- Latvian: plaisa
- Macedonian: пукнатина f (puknatina), цеп m (cep)
- Malay: retakan
- Persian: ترک (fa) (tarak)
- Polish: pęknięcie (pl) n
- Portuguese: fenda (pt) f, rachadura (pt) f, rego (pt) m
- Romanian: crăpătură (ro) f, fisură (ro) f
- Russian: тре́щина (ru) f (tréščina)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: пукотина f
- Roman: pukotina (sh) f
- Slovak: prasklina, puklina, trhlina, škára
- Spanish: grieta (es) f
- Swedish: spricka (sv) c
- Ukrainian: трі́щина f (tríščyna)
- Uzbek: yoriq (uz)
- Votic: śaro
- Westrobothnian: Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "gmq-bot" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E.
- Yiddish: שפּאַלט m (shpalt)
|
narrow opening
- Bashkir: ярыҡ (yarıq)
- Bulgarian: процеп (bg) m (procep)
- Catalan: badall (ca) m
- Czech: škvíra f, mezírka f, štěrbina (cs) f
- Dutch: spleet (nl)
- Finnish: rako (fi), halkeama (fi)
- French: fissure (fr) f
- Galician: laño m, fenda f
- Greek: χαραμάδα (el) f (charamáda)
- Icelandic: glufa (is) f, rifa f (referring to a slightly open door, window, etc.)
- (deprecated template usage)
{{trans-mid}}
- Italian: fessura (it) f, spiraglio (it) m
- Macedonian: пукнатина f (puknatina), процеп m (procep)
- Portuguese: fenda (pt) f, fresta (pt) f
- Romanian: crăpătură (ro) f
- Russian: щель (ru) f (ščelʹ), расще́лина (ru) f (rasščélina), рассе́лина (ru) f (rassélina)
- Slovak: štrbina (sk)
- Spanish: rendija (es) f
- Swedish: spricka (sv), springa (sv)
|
sharp sound made when solid material breaks
- Bulgarian: трясък (bg) m (trjasǎk), пукване (bg) n (pukvane)
- Czech: prasknutí n, křupnutí n, rupnutí n
- Dutch: gekraak (nl) n
- Finnish: rasahdus (fi), rusahdus (fi), räsähdys (fi)
- French: craquement (fr) m
- Galician: estalo (gl) m
- German: Knall (de) m, Knacks (de) m, Krachen n
- Greek: κρότος (el) m (krótos)
- Icelandic: brestur m
- Italian: schiocco (it) m, scrocchio (it) m
- (deprecated template usage)
{{trans-mid}}
- Kurdish:
- Sorani: Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "ku" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E.
- Macedonian: цеп m (cep), пукање n (pukanje)
- Polish: trzask (pl) m
- Portuguese: estalo (pt) m, crec (pt) m, craque (pt) m
- Russian: треск (ru) m (tresk)
- Slovak: prasknutie n
- Spanish: estallido m
|
attempt at something
— see try
vulgar: vagina (only terms derived from "crack" and its equivalents)
vulgar: space between buttocks
conviviality, good discussion
program or procedure designed to circumvent restrictions on software
extremely silly ideas or prose
tone of voice when changed at puberty
mental flaw; a touch of craziness; partial insanity
crazy or crack-brained person
Translations to be checked
Etymology 2
1793 slang, of Unknown origin
Adjective
crack (not comparable)
- Highly trained and competent.
- Even a crack team of investigators would have trouble solving this case.
- Excellent, first-rate, superior, top-notch.
- She's a crack shot with that rifle.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
highly trained and competent
Finnish
Etymology
From English crack.
Pronunciation
Noun
crack
- crack (variety of cocaine)
Declension
French
Etymology
From English crack.
Noun
crack f (plural cracks)
- crack (expert person)
crack f (uncountable)
- crack (cocaine)
Portuguese
Etymology
From English crack.
Noun
crack m (plural s)
- crack (variety of cocaine)
- crack (computer program for bypassing license-related and other restrictions)
Further reading
Spanish
Etymology
From English crack.
Noun
crack m (plural cracks)
- crack (variety of cocaine)
- champion, ace, pro
Further reading