- crack
- I [[t]kræ̱k[/t]]
VERB USES
♦♦♦1) V-ERG If something hard cracks, or if you crack it, it becomes slightly damaged, with lines appearing on its surface.
A gas main had cracked under my neighbour's garage and gas had seeped into our homes...
[V n] Remove the dish from the oven, crack the salt crust and you will find the skin just peels off the fish.
2) V-ERG If something cracks, or if you crack it, it makes a sharp sound like the sound of a piece of wood breaking.Thunder cracked in the sky...
[V n] He cracked his fingers nervously.
3) VERB If you crack a hard part of your body, such as your knee or your head, you hurt it by accidentally hitting it hard against something.[V n] He cracked his head on the pavement and was knocked cold.
Syn:bang, bash4) VERB When you crack something that has a shell, such as an egg or a nut, you break the shell in order to reach the inside part.[V n] Crack the eggs into a bowl.
Syn:5) VERB If you crack a problem or a code, you solve it, especially after a lot of thought.[V n] He has finally cracked the system after years of painstaking research.
6) VERB If someone cracks, 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 crack...
I had the conviction Larkin's nerve would crack and he'd squeeze the trigger in a reflex action...
European Community countries are showing signs of cracking under intense pressure from the United States.
7) VERB If your voice cracks when you are speaking or singing, it changes in pitch because you are feeling a strong emotion.Her voice cracked and she began to cry.
8) VERB If you crack a joke, you tell it.[V n] He drove a Volkswagen, cracked jokes, and talked about beer and girls.
9) → See also , cracking10) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that something is not all it's cracked 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 cracked up to be.
Phrasal Verbs:- crack on- crack upII [[t]kræ̱k[/t]] NOUN AND ADJECTIVE USEScracks1) N-COUNT A crack is a very narrow gap between two things, or between two parts of a thing.Kathryn had seen him through a crack in the curtains.
Syn:2) N-SING If you open something such as a door, window, or curtain a crack, you open it only a small amount.He went to the door, opened it a crack, and listened.
3) N-COUNT A crack is a line that appears on the surface of something when it is slightly damaged.The plate had a crack in it...
Hundreds of office buildings and homes developed large cracks in walls and ceilings.
4) N-COUNT; SOUND A crack is a sharp sound, like the sound of a piece of wood breaking.Suddenly there was a loud crack and glass flew into the car...
`Crack!' - The first shot rang out, dropping Paolo.
5) N-SING: N at n/-ing If you have or take a crack at something, you make an attempt to do or achieve something. [INFORMAL]I should love to have a crack at the Olympia title in my last year...
She decided to head for the dormitory to take another crack at locating Blanche.
Syn:go, shot6) N-COUNT A crack is a slightly rude or cruel joke.When Paul made the crack about the `famous girl detective', I began to suspect that he had it in for you.
Syn:7) N-UNCOUNT Crack is a very pure form of the drug cocaine.→ See also crack cocaine8) ADJ-GRADED: ADJ n A crack soldier or sportsman is highly trained and very skilful....a crack undercover police officer...
He is said to be a crack shot, despite weak vision in one eye.
9) → See also craic10) PHRASE: PHR after v (emphasis) If you say that someone does something at the crack of dawn, you are emphasizing that they do it very early in the morning.I often start work at the crack of dawn when there is a big order to get out.
11) PHRASE: V inflects If you paper over the cracks, you try to hide all the things that are wrong with something. [mainly BRIT]The meeting was stormy, and the two sides managed only to paper over the cracks on some issues.
12) PHRASE: PHR after v If you get a fair crack of the whip, you are allowed a reasonable opportunity to succeed at something. [BRIT, INFORMAL]None of them is expecting any favours, just a fair crack of the whip.
English dictionary. 2008.
