1
as in applauding
to declare enthusiastic approval of
that sports car isn't all it's cracked up to be
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in crying up
to praise or publicize lavishly and often excessively
the movie is being cracked up as the blockbuster of the summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in laughing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cracking up
The camera cut to O’Leary cracking up in the audience.
—
Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 11 Jan. 2026
Winner This week's winner left us cracking up with his acting skills.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Kathy — who has earned an enormous fan base thanks to her honesty and lack of pretense on the Bravo reality series — had the crowd at the Caesars Forum convention center cracking up from the moment the panel began.
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
The woods may be overrun, this year, with cabins in the woods capable of cracking up couples by laying all their faults bare.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
Later, as the film plays, the crowd bursts intermittently into laughter, cracking up at the clown-car quality of everyone piling into the van for the first time.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
The surprisingly funny duo kept social media fans cracking up, but after about a year, their relationship quietly ended.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 29 Sep. 2025
Apa and Cline are both cracking up now as Apa drops one more bomb.
—EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 11 Jan. 2026
Winner This week's winner left us cracking up with his acting skills.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Kathy — who has earned an enormous fan base thanks to her honesty and lack of pretense on the Bravo reality series — had the crowd at the Caesars Forum convention center cracking up from the moment the panel began.
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
The woods may be overrun, this year, with cabins in the woods capable of cracking up couples by laying all their faults bare.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
Later, as the film plays, the crowd bursts intermittently into laughter, cracking up at the clown-car quality of everyone piling into the van for the first time.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
The surprisingly funny duo kept social media fans cracking up, but after about a year, their relationship quietly ended.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 29 Sep. 2025
Apa and Cline are both cracking up now as Apa drops one more bomb.
—EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracking up
Verb
-
There are bodily fluids, jeering crowds, and demonic Punch and Judy puppets applauding through the chaos, giving the scene the air of a demented fairy tale.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
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Judge Miguel Espinoza both praised and criticized the county’s progress at the hearing, at times applauding the collaboration between stakeholders and at other times questioning whether the Board of Supervisors was allocating enough resources.—
Jason Henry,
Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even in ordinary moments—sharing tea, splitting food, laughing in the snow, dancing at weddings—Minnesota feels alive.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Buck became accustomed to the smells of booze and smoke, of falling asleep to the sound of adults laughing.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That Bad Bunny gave this song to Martin feels especially moving after the latter wrote a letter this past week praising the former’s Grammys acceptance speech.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Your diplomatic touch can turn an argument into teamwork by praising an idea’s potential, then guiding it toward a less pricey lane.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
While waiting for flights to resume, Charli’s character Bethany flirts with the idea of blowing up her life by rekindling a romance with an old friend who owns a flower shop in Warsaw.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Amal Clooney was spotted at the Milan airport in an unexpected travel outfit that had the InStyle group chat blowing up.—
Eva Thomas,
InStyle,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Aislynne had spaghetti and meatballs for her entree, which had her giggling with happiness and the table laughing along with her.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
27 Jan. 2026
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Social media users, meanwhile, could not get enough of the two getting tipsy on-air and giggling through the night.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Gu and Gremaud Battle It Out Athletes are already hailing the Olympic women’s Slopestyle event as the best in history, due in no small part to the duel between Eileen Gu and Mathilde Gremaud.—
Outside,
Outside,
9 Feb. 2026
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Luka Dončić, hailing from the country’s capital, Ljubljana, is one of the best players in the NBA.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The masterful composer managed to match director George Lucas' vision with an opening theme that fit the bill, announcing the sea change with a blast of brass that no doubt caused first-time viewers to jump in their seats.—
Alex Galbraith,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
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The social media post announcing the closure of the bicycle shop received nearly 300 reactions and almost 100 comments from past customers as of Friday.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the fourth quarter, Hornets coach Charles Lee was tossed from the game and needed to be held back after screaming at officials following a no-call when his player, Grant Williams, collided with Pistons’ Paul Reed.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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Police were notified that the man, later identified as Justin Rich, was screaming and damaging cars.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cracking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracking%20up. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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