cracking 1 of 3

adjective

ˈkra-kiŋ How to pronounce cracking (audio)
Definition of crackingnext
as in excellent
of the very best kind a writer renowned for her cracking tales of mystery and suspense

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cracking

2 of 3

adverb

as in extremely
to a great degree tells a cracking good tale of a search for a lost city

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cracking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of crack
1
as in popping
to break suddenly with an explosive sound the tree branch unexpectedly cracked under our weight

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2
as in choking
to yield to mental or emotional stress after hours of tough questioning the suspect finally cracked and blurted out a confession

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3
as in deciphering
to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language the United States military used the Navajo language as a code during World War II, and the enemy never cracked it

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in knocking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner cracked the bow of the ship with a champagne bottle

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5
as in solving
to find an answer for through reasoning I've been mulling this riddle, but I just can't crack it

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6
as in bothering
to cause to go insane or as if insane cracked by years in solitary confinement, the prisoner could only maunder incoherently

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cracking
Adjective
The study published in the journal Construction and Building Materials also revealed that the triangular and wavy forms significantly enhanced the beam's ability to handle post-cracking stress. — New Atlas, 10 Apr. 2026 Another uninspired performance coupled with a a heavy defeat may well spell the end for the Basque manager at the Emirates, so this fixture should have plenty of undertones and be a cracking game of football. — SI.com, 28 Oct. 2019 His fortunes finally turned back Wednesday, when van Garderen laid down a cracking time trial at the Tour of California. — sacbee, 16 May 2018
Verb
Seeing a few chapters out of context is not going to deliver the same thrill as cracking open the new book and reading as the author intended. — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 17 Oct. 2026 The researchers developed their fiber-optic system to detect acoustic emissions, or small vibrations produced when materials undergo changes such as cracking. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026 Coconut crabs are also equipped with two powerful pincers capable of cracking through the tough exterior of a coconut, according to London's Natural History Museum. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 And while cracking open an iPod will never not be intimidating, at least the Sprout doesn’t require any soldering. — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 14 Oct. 2026 The longbow hunter stands behind a tree, picks up a stick and starts cracking logs and whipping brush. — Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026 The filmmakers bill it as a film less about cracking a murder than about the ordinary days that come after a devastating loss. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 The job even gets meta, with the British star cracking a joke about which nationalities are cast in best roles Hollywood has to offer Black talent. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026 The wife of Cleveland football coach Mario Guzman, Elizabeth, is cracking 15 dozen eggs for Thanksgiving practice. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracking
  1. excellent
  2. extremely
  3. popping
  4. choking
  5. deciphering
  6. knocking
  7. solving
  8. bothering
Adjective
  • Her shoes are already a favorite among industry insiders for their sleek appeal and excellent construction.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In late September, the concept was thrust back into the public consciousness thanks to a Variety interview with actor Jack Innanen, who plays the Canadian himbo Paul Baker on the excellent sitcom Adults.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of excellent
Adverb
  • Experts attribute the extremely warm ocean temperatures that fueled Rachel, which peaked as a Category 3 hurricane, in part to El Niño.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • All this makes the Home app very easy to use, but extremely underpowered.
    — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of extremely
Verb
  • The Jets put up 276 yards of total offense — hardly eye-popping numbers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • When word got around, more famous people started popping in, Delany says.
    — Sam Kashner, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of popping
Verb
  • Biddy covered most of the journey on foot—the equivalent of about six million steps—herding animals at the rear of her owner’s wagon company and choking her way through a moving screen of dust kicked up by the migrant caravan.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • On top of store closures and unsold inventory, the company was choking on enormous debt from a private equity buyout in 2014.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of choking
Verb
  • Bahdanau was working with artificial neural networks, which had already shown promise in pattern-recognition tasks such as deciphering handwriting and identifying objects in photos.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In addition to developing better medicines or perfumes, deciphering the mirror images of molecules can help scientists understand the chemical architecture of life, said chemist Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the journal Science.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of deciphering
Verb
  • The other student strikes one more blow from behind, knocking Xavier to the ground.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The murder prompted an extensive investigation, with police interviewing more than 1,300 people and knocking on hundreds of doors.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of knocking
Verb
  • Besides transporting me back to ancient China, solving this problem took me back to my own roots as a mathematician.
    — Dana Mackenzie, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The experiment shows that small models are becoming increasingly capable at solving those problems autonomously.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of solving
Verb
  • His work is autobiographical and based on whatever has been bothering him that year.
    — Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • For example, companies that benefit from customers not bothering to cancel subscriptions, compare prices, or search for better deals have taken a beating in recent weeks.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of bothering

Phrases Containing cracking

Browse Nearby Words

crackheads
cracking
cracking down (on)
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Cite this Entry

“Cracking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracking. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cracking

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cracking

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