cracking Meaning & Definition
What Does Cracking Mean?
Cracking is used as an adjective meaning very impressive or effective. As an adverb, it means very, extremely. As a noun, it means a process in which relatively heavy hydrocarbons are broken up by heat into lighter products (such as gasoline).
Cracking: Key Facts
| Part of speech | adjective, adverb, noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkra-kiŋ/ |
| Syllables | 2 |
| Synonyms | keen, good and cool |
| Antonyms | atrocious, awful and execrable |
| Plural | crackings |
Cracking Definition (Adjective)
- very impressive or effective : great
Cracking as an Adverb
- very, extremely
a cracking good book
Cracking as a Noun
- a process in which relatively heavy hydrocarbons are broken up by heat into lighter products (such as gasoline)
- a form of gerrymandering in which election districts are drawn in such a way that voters likely to support the opposing party are spread among multiple districts to dilute the power of their votes compare packing:1
Using the classic gerrymandering technique, cracking, they divided Salt Lake City (a Democrat stronghold) among three districts to drown out its Democratic voters with neighboring heavily Republican turf.
Cracking as a Verb
- to make a very sharp explosive sound
The whip cracks through the air.
- to break, split, or snap apart
The statue cracked when she dropped it.
- fail: such as
- to lose control or effectiveness under pressure
- to fail in tone
His voice cracked.
- to go or travel at good speed
- to break so that fissures appear on the surface
crack a mirror
- to break with a sudden sharp sound
crack nuts
- to tell especially suddenly or strikingly
crack a joke
- to strike with a sharp noise : rap
then cracks him over the head / cracked a two-run homer in the eighth
- to open (something, such as a bottle) for drinking
- to open (a book) for studying
- to puzzle out and expose, solve, or reveal the mystery of
crack a code
- to break into
crack a safe
- to open slightly
crack the throttle
- to break through (something, such as a barrier) so as to gain acceptance or recognition
… on track to crack Hollywood after landing a big screen role.
- to show or begin showing (a smile) especially reluctantly or uncharacteristically
- to impair seriously or irreparably : wreck, disrupt
crack an opponent's courage / Worry had cracked his otherwise cheerful disposition.
- to destroy the tone of (a voice)
- to interrupt sharply or abruptly
The criticism cracked our complacency.
- to cause to make a sharp noise
cracks his knuckles
- to subject (hydrocarbons) to cracking
- to produce by cracking
cracked gasoline
- to break up (chemical compounds) into simpler compounds by means of heat
Synonyms of Cracking
Antonyms of Cracking
Cracking in a Sentence
the crackings of whips
The race started at a cracking pace.
That's a cracking example of what we've been looking for.
We had a cracking time.
It was a cracking good show.
It's been so dry, the ground is starting to crack.
When I tried to stand on the chair, it cracked.
Anyone would crack after being hounded like that.
When we showed him the pictures of the murder scene, he cracked.
The bat cracked with authority and the ball went for six.
His voice cracked with emotion.
His voice finally cracked when he was fourteen.
"I would too, with a face like that," she cracked.
The ball cracked the window.
You'll need a hammer to crack a black walnut.
She cracked him over the head with her handbag.
Could you please crack the window?
They managed to crack him on the third day.
I've finally cracked it, and of course the answer is obvious in hindsight.
It took a minute to crack the lock, three minutes to crack the security system, and about twenty minutes to crack the safe.
to crack a whip
The performance was fine until he cracked that dead baby joke.
Acetone is cracked to ketene and methane at 700°C.
That software licence will expire tomorrow unless we can crack it.
I'd love to crack open a beer.
a cracking good book
Using the classic gerrymandering technique, cracking, they divided Salt Lake City (a Democrat stronghold) among three districts to drown out its Democratic voters with neighboring heavily Republican turf.
The whip cracks through the air.
The statue cracked when she dropped it.
His voice cracked.
crack a mirror
crack nuts
crack a joke
then cracks him over the head
cracked a two-run homer in the eighth
crack a code
crack a safe
crack the throttle
… on track to crack Hollywood after landing a big screen role.
crack an opponent's courage
Worry had cracked his otherwise cheerful disposition.
The criticism cracked our complacency.
cracks his knuckles
cracked gasoline
a writer renowned for her cracking tales of mystery and suspense
tells a cracking good tale of a search for a lost city
the tree branch unexpectedly cracked under our weight
after hours of tough questioning the suspect finally cracked and blurted out a confession
the United States military used the Navajo language as a code during World War II, and the enemy never cracked it
cracked the bow of the ship with a champagne bottle
I've been mulling this riddle, but I just can't crack it
cracked by years in solitary confinement, the prisoner could only maunder incoherently
the postman cracked on in an effort to get the mail delivered on time
then cracks him over the head / cracked a two-run homer in the eighth
crack an opponent's courage / Worry had cracked his otherwise cheerful disposition.
Word Forms & Grammar
cracking
crackings
cracked
crack·ing
cracks
crack
crack the whip
crack (on)
crack on
cracking (plural crackings)
cracking (not comparable)
Words That Rhyme With Cracking
Origin of Cracking
Origin 1: Middle English crakken, from Old English cracian; akin to Old High German chrahhōn to resound
Origin 2: Inherited from Middle English crakynge.
First Known Use
1833
1863
1868
before 12th centuryi
How Do You Say Cracking?
Cracking is pronounced /ˈkra-kiŋ/ and has 2 syllables, with the main stress on the first syllable (kra).
Cracking: Your Questions Answered
Is cracking an adjective or an adverb?
Cracking is mainly used as an adjective, but it can also be used as an adverb, a noun and a verb.
What is another word for cracking?
You can replace cracking with words such as keen, good and cool. See the full list of cracking synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of cracking?
Words opposite in meaning to cracking are atrocious, awful, execrable and lousy.
What is the plural of cracking?
The plural of cracking is crackings.