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# crack

«crack» in Mova's school dictionary: **a thin line where something has broken but not fallen apart** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a crack, cracks); verb (crack, cracks, cracked, cracking)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A crack is a thin line where something has broken but not fallen apart. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#m1)

2) A crack is a narrow gap or opening. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#m2)

3) A crack is a sudden sharp loud sound. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#m3)

4) To crack means to break so that lines appear, or to break something open, like an egg. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#m4)

5) To crack a joke means to tell it; to crack a code or problem means to solve it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#m5)

6) Crack-brain is an old word for a person who is mad or very silly. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#m6)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday life you crack eggs to cook and crack nuts to eat them. In safety, a cracked window, plate or phone screen can cut you, and cracks in ice mean it is not safe to walk on. In science, rocks crack when water freezes in them and expands (weathering), and dry ground cracks in a drought. In stories a door opens «a crack», thunder gives a crack, and detectives crack the case. Phrases: «crack a joke», «crack the code», «at the crack of dawn» (very early).

### examples

- There's a crack in my phone screen. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#x1)
- Crack two eggs into the bowl. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#x2)
- Keep off the ice; it has cracks in it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#x3)
- The whip gave a loud crack. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#x4)
- She opened the door a crack and peeped out. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#x5)
- We finally cracked the secret code! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#x6)
- Water freezing in rocks makes them crack. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#x7)
- Dad likes to crack jokes at dinner. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#x8)
- Put the crack-brain under lock and key!" [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/#x9)

### note

Countable noun: a crack, cracks. Regular verb: cracked, cracking. «Crack» (thin break) is less than «break» or «smash». «Crackers» are biscuits; «cracker» can also be a Christmas party toy in the UK. Slang «What's the craic?» (Irish, spelt craic) means «what's the fun/news».

### In the corpora

- [Dandelion seeds float on tiny parachutes into pavement cracks, where dust and water collect, and a long taproot finds water deep down.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/14-the-city-as-a-habitat/9/)
- [Crows in Japan drop walnuts at traffic lights for cars to crack, and crows can remember a human face for years.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/35-birds-of-every-kind/10/)
- [Wild chimpanzees make tools: they fish for termites with stripped twigs, crack nuts with stones and use leaves as sponges.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/84-ape-house-gorillas-and-chimpanzees/7/)
- [The jaguar has the strongest bite for its size of any big cat and can crack turtle shells and caiman skulls.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/157-the-amazon-forest-floor/10/)
- [Some crows in Japan drop nuts at pedestrian crossings for cars to crack and pick them up safely when the lights stop the traffic.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/233-animal-minds-clever-crows-ravens-jays-and-parrots/5/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «crack» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crack/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.