Meaning & use
wisecrack
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Meanings
nouncountable
A short, clever remark, often one that makes fun of someone or something.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a wisecrack, wisecracks, or make a wisecrack.
Patterns
- make a wisecrack
- a wisecrack about someone/something
- a wisecrack at someone's expense
He made a wisecrack about my new haircut, and everyone laughed.
Her wisecracks kept the meeting from getting too serious.
The comedian's wisecracks about politicians filled the whole show.
verbintransitive
To make a short, clever remark, especially a funny or teasing one.
Grammar: No object: you wisecrack about something, not wisecrack something.
Patterns
- wisecrack about something
- wisecrack at someone
The reporters wisecracked about the mayor's speech all afternoon.
Stop wisecracking and help me carry these boxes.
He wisecracked his way through the interview, avoiding every serious question.
Word forms
| plural | wisecracks |
|---|---|
| third person singular | wisecracks |
| past tense | wisecracked |
| past participle | wisecracked |
| -ing form | wisecracking |
Common combinations
- make a wisecrack
- She made a wisecrack about the traffic and everyone smiled.
- a wisecrack about someone
- His wisecrack about the boss did not go over well.
- crack a wisecrack
- The host cracked a wisecrack as the guests arrived.
- wisecrack at someone's expense
- The joke was a wisecrack at the coach's expense.
- a constant stream of wisecracks
- The film offers a constant stream of wisecracks from the sidekick.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- wisecracker noun
- A person who often makes clever, teasing remarks.
- wisecracking adjective
- Describing someone or something that makes a lot of clever remarks.
Commonly confused: wisecrack or crackpot? wisecrack or smart aleck?
wisecrack vs crackpot
Crackpot means an eccentric or foolish person, not a clever remark; the two words only share the sound of 'crack'.
wisecrack vs smart aleck
A smart aleck is a person who behaves as if they know everything; a wisecrack is the remark itself.
Practice
Which sentence uses wisecrack correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Made a wisecrack about the weather' is the natural noun pattern. Option 0 is wrong because the verb does not take a direct object like a story; option 2 confuses the word with 'crack' as a physical opening; option 3 treats it as a verb meaning 'discuss', which it does not mean.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wisecrack”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.