Meaning & use
Cracking
Last updated
Breaking or splitting, typically with a sharp sound, without complete separation into pieces.
See it in a sentence
The ice on the pond began cracking under the weight of the skaters.
His voice kept cracking with nerves as he delivered the wedding toast.
A note on using this word
In British informal usage, 'cracking' also means excellent, as in 'a cracking good film'; in the oil industry it names the process that breaks large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller ones.
Words with a similar meaning
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Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. adjective
British informal: excellent or first-rate.
We had a cracking time at the festival this year.
3. noun
In chemistry and petroleum refining, the process of breaking down large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller, more useful ones.
The refinery uses catalytic cracking to convert crude oil into gasoline.
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