You crack me up

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiominformal

   You make me laugh a lot, usually because you are funny or silly.

   Grammar: The object pronoun goes between 'crack' and 'up': you crack me up, not 'you crack up me'.

   Patterns

   • someone cracks someone up
   • something cracks someone up

   Your story about the goat on the bus really cracked me up.

   She cracks me up every time she does that silly dance.

   I was having a bad day, but your messages cracked me up.

2. 2phrasefixed phraseinformal

   Used to say that someone or something is extremely funny.

   Grammar: Often used on its own as a reaction, with no object stated.

   Patterns

   • You crack me up!

   "You crack me up!" she said, still laughing.

   You crack me up — I can never stay serious around you.

Common combinations

really crack someone up

His accent really cracks me up.

crack someone up every time

That video cracks me up every time I watch it.

crack up laughing

We all cracked up laughing at the end of the film.

Synonyms and how they differ

make someone laugh

A plain, neutral way to say the same thing; 'crack me up' is stronger and much more informal.

tickle someone

Means to amuse someone lightly; it is gentler and less common in everyday modern speech.

Opposites

Word family

crack up phrasal verb

To start laughing loudly, or (informally) to have a breakdown.

crack-up noun

An informal noun for a collapse or a fit of laughter.

Commonly confused: You crack me up or crack?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “You crack me up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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