Meaning & use
crack of doom
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Meanings
nounsingularliteraryreligion
The sound of a trumpet that, in Christian belief, will announce the end of the world and the Last Judgment.
Grammar: Used with 'the': the crack of doom. No plural form.
Patterns
- the crack of doom
In the old sermon, the preacher described the crack of doom that would wake the dead.
The painting shows angels blowing trumpets at the crack of doom.
He spoke of the crack of doom as if it were a distant thunder.
nounsingularfigurativeliterary
A moment of sudden, terrible disaster or final destruction.
Grammar: Often used figuratively in phrases like 'the crack of doom' to mean any catastrophic end.
Patterns
- the crack of doom
- sound the crack of doom
The fall of the empire was the crack of doom for the ancient world.
Some saw the stock market crash as the crack of doom for the economy.
The novel ends with the crack of doom for the hero's family.
Common combinations
- the crack of doom
- The crack of doom is a phrase from Christian tradition.
- sound the crack of doom
- The trumpets will sound the crack of doom at the end of time.
- at the crack of doom
- They believed the world would end at the crack of doom.
Synonyms and how they differ
- doomsday
- Doomsday is the more common everyday word for the day of final judgment; 'crack of doom' is archaic and poetic.
- Judgment Day
- Judgment Day is the standard religious term; 'crack of doom' focuses on the trumpet sound that announces it.
Word family
- doom noun
- A terrible fate or destruction; the base of the phrase.
Commonly confused: crack of doom or crack of dawn?
crack of doom vs crack of dawn
Means very early morning; do not mix it up with 'crack of doom', which is about the end of the world.
Practice
In Christian tradition, what does 'the crack of doom' refer to?
Choose one answer.
The phrase comes from the belief that a trumpet will sound at the Last Judgment. 'Crack of dawn' (option 0) is a different idiom meaning early morning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “crack of doom”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.