1
as in breakdown
a mental or nervous collapse
a crack-up required him to take a year off from work
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in collision
the violent coming together of two bodies into destructive contact
two people were injured in a serious crack-up on the interstate
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1
as in to praise
to declare enthusiastic approval of
that sports car isn't all it's cracked up to be
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2
as in to blow up
to praise or publicize lavishly and often excessively
the movie is being cracked up as the blockbuster of the summer
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3
as in to laugh
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound
try not to crack up at your own punch lines—it's funnier if you keep a straight face
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crack-up
Emily Tamkin, The New Republic, 22 Sep. 2023
The movie tracks Carl’s descent, his crack-up, and his slow waking up to reality.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Apr. 2023
Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
The Blakes are a humble family and the idea of her dad blowing past security to storm the court had Mikayla cracking up.
—Grace Raynor, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crack-up
Noun
Despite their differences on policy, there is little reason to expect a crack-up between the Hungarian and American right in the near future.
—Verb
Upset that his owner stopped giving him undivided attention, one dog found a solution that left viewers cracking up.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for crack-up
Noun
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Scroll on for our breakdown of the best Alo leggings—including the cult favorite Airlift leggings and ever-so-versatile bootcut pants—backed up by rave reviews from Glamour editors.—
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Here's a breakdown of its key features, differences from the iPhone 16, and what its release means for Apple's product lineup.—
Noun
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This is significant because globular clusters are associated with other powerful events associated with older stars, including the collisions and mergers of two neutron stars or a white dwarf collapsing under its own gravity.—
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Over the weekend, the asteroid also dropped to a ranking of 0 out of 10 on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, a tool for categorizing potential collisions of space objects with Earth.—
Verb
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Shoppers praised the cabinet’s luxe finishes and durable design.—
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After all, most fertility specialists and advocates would welcome IVF becoming less expensive and more accessible to all, and many praised the possibility of the government doing so.—
Verb
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Almost all of the buildings and structures in each map can be destroyed, adding an element of chaos as your cover disappears under heavy fire, but also allowing for fun strategies, like blowing up the floor beneath your enemy to send them plummeting to the ground.—
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From the war: A senior Ukrainian intelligence official confirmed a plot to blow up drone goggles that was inspired by what Israeli intelligence had pulled off with exploding wireless devices and Hezbollah militants.—
Verb
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Mothers run after their children; one of them is developmentally disabled, but in a rural Chinese village circa 1991 he is treated as a laughing stock.—
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Musk posted that portion of the remarks and responded with two laughing emojis.—
Noun
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An Instagram influencer accused of a drunk driving crash that killed a man in Southern California last summer has now been arrested, officials said.—
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The plane caught fire either before or after the crash.—
Verb
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Others in the neighborhood applauded Caruso’s involvement.—
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Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group that Kennedy founded, applauded his confirmation on Thursday.—
Verb
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According to Variety, the website had been advertising its typical selection of merchandise and athleisure wear on Sunday, but all of those items were removed and replaced with the swastika shirt shortly after the ad aired.—
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Research suggests that about 50% of products advertised to Black women contain these types of chemicals, compared with about 7% that are advertised to White women, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.—
Cite this Entry
“Crack-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack-up. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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