ENGLISH
REFERENCE

crack up

idiom
Meaning

To laugh.


Origin

disputed origin

Compare Japanese 笑う (warau, “laugh, smile”), suffixed from Japanese 割る (waru, “crack”).

Examples
SIMPLE

That joke made me crack up.

CONTEXTUAL

My friend told a story about her cat, and we all cracked up.

COMPLEX

The comedian's deadpan delivery was so unexpected that even the stern-faced critic in the front row began to crack up.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    crack a crust

    To make a living.

  2. 02

    crack a fat

    To get an erection of the penis.

  3. 03

    crack a smile

    To smile, especially while attempting not to.

  4. 04

    crack down

    To take harsh action (against), as when enforcing a law more stringently than before.

  5. 05

    crack of dawn

    The first moment of daylight; the instant at which sunrise begins.

  6. 06

    crack through

    To penetrate

  7. 07

    employ a steam engine to crack a nut

    To carry out a simple task in an overcomplicated manner.

  8. 08

    fair crack of the whip

    Let's have an equitable attempt, match, or process. Used as an appeal for reasonableness.

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