GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English
last match results
Found 4 definitions
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Crack (krăk), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cracked (krăkt); p. pr. & vb. n. Cracking.] [OE. cracken, craken, to crack, break, boast, AS. cracian, cearcian, to crack; akin to D. kraken, G. krachen; cf. Skr. garj to rattle, or perh. of imitative origin. Cf. Crake, Cracknel, Creak.]
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1. To break or burst, with or without entire separation of the parts; as, “to crack glass; to crack nuts”.
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2. To rend with grief or pain; to affect deeply with sorrow; hence, to disorder; to distract; to craze.
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O, madam, my old heart is cracked. Shak.
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He thought none poets till their brains were cracked. Roscommon.
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3. To cause to sound suddenly and sharply; to snap; as, “to crack a whip”.
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4. To utter smartly and sententiously; as, “to crack a joke”. B. Jonson.
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5. To cry up; to extol; -- followed by up. [Low]
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To crack a bottle, to open the bottle and drink its contents. -- To crack a crib, to commit burglary. [Slang] -- To crack on, to put on; as, to crack on more sail, or more steam. [Colloq.]
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Crack, v. i.
1. To burst or open in chinks; to break, with or without quite separating into parts.
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By misfortune it cracked in the coling. Boyle.
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The mirror cracked from side to side. Tennyson.
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2. To be ruined or impaired; to fail. [Collog.]
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The credit . . . of exchequers cracks, when little comes in and much goes out. Dryden.
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3. To utter a loud or sharp, sudden sound.
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As thunder when the clouds in autumn crack. Shak.
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4. To utter vain, pompous words; to brag; to boast; -- with of. [Archaic.]
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Ethoipes of their sweet complexion crack. Shak.
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Crack, n.
1. A partial separation of parts, with or without a perceptible opening; a chink or fissure; a narrow breach; a crevice; as, “a crack in timber, or in a wall, or in glass”.
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2. Rupture; flaw; breach, in a moral sense.
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My love to thee is sound, sans crack or flaw. Shak.
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3. A sharp, sudden sound or report; the sound of anything suddenly burst or broken; as, “the crack of a falling house; the crack of thunder; the crack of a whip”.
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Will the stretch out to the crack of doom? Shak.
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4. The tone of voice when changed at puberty.
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Though now our voices
Have got the mannish crack. Shak.
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5. Mental flaw; a touch of craziness; partial insanity; as, “he has a crack”.
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6. A crazy or crack-brained person. [Obs.]
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I . . . can not get the Parliament to listen to me, who look upon me as a crack and a projector. Addison.
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7. A boast; boasting. [Obs.] “Crack and brags.” Burton. “Vainglorius cracks.” Spenser.
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8. Breach of chastity. [Obs.] Shak.
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9. A boy, generally a pert, lively boy. [Obs.]
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Val. 'T is a noble child. Vir. A crack, madam. Shak.
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10. A brief time; an instant; as, “to be with one in a crack”. [Eng. & Scot. Colloq.]
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11. Free conversation; friendly chat. [Scot.]
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What is crack in English? . . . A crack is . . . a chat with a good, kindly human heart in it. P. P. Alexander.
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12. a witty remark; a wisecrack.
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13. a chance or opportunity to do something; an attempt; as, “I'll take a crack at it”.
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14. a form of cocaine, highly purified and prepared as small pellets, especially suitable for smoking; -- also called rock. Used in this form it appears to be more addicting than cocaine powder. [slang]
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Crack, a. Of superior excellence; having qualities to be boasted of; as, “a crack shot”. [Colloq.]
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One of our crack speakers in the Commons. Dickens.
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