CRACKS Synonyms: 406 Similar and Opposite Words

cracks 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of crack

as in pops

to break suddenly with an explosive sound the tree branch unexpectedly cracked under our weight

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as in chokes

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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as in deciphers

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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as in knocks

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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as in solves

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

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as in crazes

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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cracks

2 of 2

noun

plural of crack

as in fissures

an irregular usually narrow break in a surface created by pressure a pebble struck the car's windshield and left a spidery crack in it

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as in blows

a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument a disciplinary crack on the hand with a ruler was once common in schoolrooms

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as in claps

a loud explosive sound the tree fell with a sharp crack

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as in attempts

an effort to do or accomplish something this is my first crack at painting

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as in jokes

something said or done to cause laughter a whispered crack made the whole back row start laughing

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as in eccentrics

a person of odd or whimsical habits that conspiracy theorist has been labeled a crack by the ballistics experts

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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 cracks

Verb

Anyone who cracks your unlock code can get into nearly every app, from banking to social media and even your email—the keys to the kingdom. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Pre-fall closes the chapter on summer but cracks one open to fall. — Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026 Jessica transforms the betrayal of a generation taught that work would protect them into visceral cinema, where illness cracks the skin while luxury masks collapse. — Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026 When that belief cracks, the line stops being a signal and starts being a complaint. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 31 July 2026 Nobody cracks 60 points, even though this was early in the cap era when scoring was up. — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 30 July 2026 Holmes deduces that each pose represents a letter and cracks the code by matching the most common poses with the most common letters. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 1 July 2026 There was one where the both managers got ejected in the same moment, which cracks me up. — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026 This cracks long plastic chains into smaller hydrocarbon chunks. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026

Noun

The country music icon's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was allegedly vandalized after her death; it was already set to be replaced because of existing cracks, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce told Los Angeles news station ABC 7. — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 Still, his unwillingness to spend on the margins — in player development, infrastructure, or even to have his radio team travel with the club — left cracks that have only grown bigger over time as the Angels’ playoff drought has gotten longer. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Debbie Willson is acutely aware of how a death can fall through the cracks. — Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026 The star, which has been fenced off, is being repaired by the Hollywood Historic Trust because of cracks from wear and tear, Martinez said. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Through their business The Fig Hunter, founded in 2021, the couple propagates unique varieties like Shasta Cranberry and Amen’s Citron from cuttings taken in unlikely spots such as culverts and pavement cracks. — Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile, the clinical data undercuts the GLP-1 bear case, and Insulet’s balance sheet and margin profile show no cracks beyond the specific retention metric management flagged. — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026 The team found that this breaking apart often occurs earlier than expected, putting that down to cracks that may have already existed in the rock due to collisions in space. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Our geologists suspect that the polygons outline fractures that formed through drying, like cracks in mud do, or through thermal cycles, or compression. — Ashwin R. Vasavada, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracks

Verb

The scene direction and pacing also impressed me, with none of that awkward dead air that pops up all too often in gacha games.

— Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 29 Aug. 2026
Max Carroll pops the runner, forces the fumble and recovers it.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of pops

Verb

Qualcomm’s chip can run Linux, along with Arduino software, and can even do computer vision, which deciphers what a camera sees and translates it into software.

— Kif Leswing, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
With that base knowledge and his opponent’s game tape, Nolan analyzes wide receiver alignments and deciphers the offense's attack.

— Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 18 Sep. 2025

Definition of deciphers

Verb

When a headline knocks a stock down, the useful question is whether anything inside the business moved.

— Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Brink is no stranger to the injury bug, as this is just the latest in a series of knocks the Sparks center has taken recently.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of knocks

Verb

Speeding up experimental work This assembly line setup solves a major engineering limitation in fusion research.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
In her detective series, under the pen name Amanda Cross, an English professor solves murders whose motives include bad psychoanalysis, student riots, and biographers who know too much for their own good.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of solves

Noun

On a historic square in Savannah, with live oaks cloaked in Spanish moss, Aaron Whitley, the Chatham County Democratic Party chair, says Ossoff has managed to transcend those fissures better than most.

— Sam Gringlas, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
Wilson explores these relational fissures throughout the novel but does not resolve them.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of fissures

Noun

The impact of yesterday’s sharp drop in South Korean equities transmitted further into US markets overnight, spreading selling sentiment and dealing heavy blows to US semiconductor and memory stocks.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Guevera also reportedly came to blows with Eddie Kingston in 2022, leading to Kingston’s suspension.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026