CRACKING

To form cracks.

Example: "It's been so dry, the ground is starting to crack."

To break apart under pressure.

Example: "When i tried to stand on the chair, it cracked."

To become debilitated by psychological pressure.

Example: "Anyone would crack after being hounded like that."

To break down or yield, especially under interrogation or torture.

Example: "When we showed him the pictures of the murder scene, he cracked."

To make a cracking sound.

Example: "The bat cracked with authority and the ball went for six."

(of a voice) to change rapidly in register.

Example: "His voice cracked with emotion."

(of a pubescent boy's voice) to alternate between high and low register in the process of eventually lowering.

Example: "His voice finally cracked when he was fourteen."

To make a sharply humorous comment.

Example: ""i would too, with a face like that," she cracked."

To make a crack or cracks in.

Example: "The ball cracked the window."

To break open or crush to small pieces by impact or stress.

Example: "You'll need a hammer to crack a black walnut."

To strike forcefully.

Example: "She cracked him over the head with her handbag."

To open slightly.

Example: "Could you please crack the window?"

To cause to yield under interrogation or other pressure. (figurative)

Example: "They managed to crack him on the third day."

To solve a difficult problem. (figurative, from cracking a nut.)

Example: "I've finally cracked it, and of course the answer is obvious in hindsight."

To overcome a security system or a component.

Example: "It took a minute to crack the lock, three minutes to crack the security system, and about twenty minutes to crack the safe."

To cause to make a sharp sound.

Example: "To crack a whip"

To tell (a joke).

Example: "The performance was fine until he cracked that dead baby joke."

To break down (a complex molecule), especially with the application of heat: to pyrolyse.

Example: "Acetone is cracked to ketene and methane at 700°c."

To circumvent software restrictions such as regional coding or time limits.

Example: "That software licence will expire tomorrow unless we can crack it."

To open a canned beverage, or any packaged drink or food.

Example: "I'd love to crack open a beer."

To brag, boast.

To be ruined or impaired; to fail.