word-vault

{ "term": "crack", "partOfSpeech": "verb", "ox5000": true, "cefr": "b2", "verbForms": { "presentSimple": { "iYouWeThey": "crack", "heSheIt": "cracks" }, "pastSimple": "cracked", "pastParticiple": "cracked", "ingForm": "cracking" }, "definitions": [ { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "to break without dividing into separate parts; to break something in this way", "sensetop": "crack something", "cefr": "b2", "examples": [ { "text": "The ice cracked as I stepped onto it." }, { "text": "He has cracked a bone in his arm.", "contextForm": "crack something" }, { "text": "The dish had cracked quite badly." }, { "text": "The leather/mud/paint/plaster had cracked." } ], "topics": ["Physics and chemistry"] }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "to break open or into pieces; to break something in this way", "sensetop": "+ adv./prep.crack somethingcrack something + adv./prep.", "labels": "(figurative)", "cefr": "b2", "examples": [ { "text": "A chunk of the cliff had cracked off in a storm.", "contextForm": "+ adv./prep." }, { "text": "His face cracked into a smile." }, { "text": "to crack a nut", "contextForm": "crack something" }, { "text": "She cracked an egg into the pan.", "contextForm": "crack something + adv./prep." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 3, "definition": "to hit something/somebody in a short hard manner", "sensetop": "crack something/somebody (on/against something)", "examples": [ { "text": "I cracked my head on the low ceiling." }, { "text": "He cracked me on the head with a ruler." }, { "text": "He stood up suddenly, cracking his head on the low ceiling." }, { "text": "As I leapt up, I cracked my skull on a beam and passed out." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 4, "definition": "to make a sharp sound; to make something do this", "sensetop": "crack something", "examples": [ { "text": "A shot cracked across the ridge." }, { "text": "He **cracked his whip** and galloped away.", "contextForm": "crack something" } ] }, { "senseNumber": 5, "definition": "if your voice cracks, it changes in depth, volume, etc. suddenly and in a way that you cannot control", "examples": [ { "text": "In a voice cracking with emotion, he told us of his son's death." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 6, "definition": "to no longer be able to function normally because of pressure", "examples": [ { "text": "Things are terrible at work and people are cracking under the strain." }, { "text": "They questioned him for days before he cracked." }, { "text": "The old institutions are cracking." }, { "text": "She is under a lot of pressure but is showing no signs of cracking." }, { "text": "The stresses of his job became too great and he finally cracked." } ], "collocations": { "adverb": ["hard"], "phrases": [ "crack under the pressure", "crack under the strain", "show signs of cracking" ], "preposition": ["on"] } }, { "senseNumber": 7, "definition": "to find the solution to a problem, etc; to find the way to do something difficult", "sensetop": "crack something", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "to crack the enemy’s code" }, { "text": "After a year in this job I think **I've got it cracked**!" }, { "text": "‘How's the investigation going?’ ‘I think we've cracked it.’" }, { "text": "A team of experts finally cracked the code." }, { "text": "We need some more solid evidence if we're going to crack the case." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 8, "definition": "to find a way of stopping or defeating a criminal or an enemy", "sensetop": "crack something", "cefr": "c2", "examples": [ { "text": "Police have cracked a major drugs ring." } ], "topics": ["Crime and punishment"] }, { "senseNumber": 9, "definition": "to open a bottle, especially of wine, and drink it", "sensetop": "crack (open) a bottle", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": 10, "definition": "to tell a joke", "sensetop": "crack a joke", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to use your authority or power to make somebody work very hard, usually by treating them in a strict way", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to make jokes", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "This entertainer can crack wise with the best of them." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to begin immediately and work quickly", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "There's a lot to be done, so let's get cracking." } ], "synonyms": "get going" }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "a difficult problem or situation to deal with", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "not as good as people say", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "He's not nearly such a good writer as he's cracked up to be." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to use more force than is necessary", "examples": [] } ], "pronunciations": { "uk": [ { "pronunciation": "/kræk/", "audio": "cr/crack/crack__gb_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/kræks/", "audio": "cr/crack/cracks__gb_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/krækt/", "audio": "cr/crack/cracked__gb_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/ˈkrækɪŋ/", "audio": "cr/crack/cracking__gb_2.mp3" } ], "us": [ { "pronunciation": "/kræk/", "audio": "cr/crack/crack__us_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/kræks/", "audio": "cr/crack/cracks__us_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/krækt/", "audio": "cr/crack/cracked__us_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/ˈkrækɪŋ/", "audio": "cr/crack/cracking__us_2.mp3" } ] }, "wordOrigin": "Old English cracian ‘make an explosive noise’; of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kraken and German krachen. Sense (8) of the noun is from Irish craic ‘entertaining conversation’." }