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cracking

American  
[krak-ing] / ˈkræk ɪŋ /

noun

  1. (in the distillation of petroleum or the like) the process of breaking down certain hydrocarbons into simpler ones of lower boiling points by means of excess heat, distillation under pressure, etc., in order to give a greater yield of low-boiling products than could be obtained by simple distillation.

adverb

  1. extremely; unusually.

    We saw a cracking good match at the stadium.

adjective

Informal.

  1. done with precision; smart.

    A cracking salute from the honor guard.

idioms

  1. get cracking. crack.

cracking British  
/ ˈkrækɪŋ /

adjective

  1. informal (prenominal) fast; vigorous (esp in the phrase a cracking pace )

  2. informal to start doing something quickly or do something with increased speed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. informal first-class; excellent

    a cracking good match
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the process in which molecules are cracked, esp the oil-refining process in which heavy oils are broken down into hydrocarbons of lower molecular weight by heat or catalysis See also catalytic cracker

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
cracking Scientific  
/ krăk′ĭng /

  1. The process of breaking down complex chemical compounds by heating them. Sometimes a catalyst is added to lower the amount of heat needed for the reaction. Cracking is used especially for breaking petroleum molecules into shorter molecules and to extract low-boiling fractions, such as gasoline, from petroleum.

  2. See also hydrocracking

Etymology

Origin of cracking

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; crack, -ing 1, -ing 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Like the three doctors in Buffalo, the Burrs agreed that the alleged spirit rapping could be caused by cracking joints: knees, ankles, toes, or shoulders.

From Literature

The phrase is currently under consideration to be banned as part of new laws cracking down on "hateful" slogans after the Bondi Beach shootings.

From BBC

Allen, whose district includes the Palisades fire zone, has a platform that calls stabilization of the insurance market, which has seen carriers drop policyholders in fire-prone neighborhoods, while cracking down on insurer wrongdoing.

From Los Angeles Times

Duterte was elected president of the Philippines in 2016, having promised to eradicate street crime by cracking down on illegal drugs.

From BBC

It’s funny because everybody thinks comedy rooms are just so funny all the time, everybody’s cracking jokes, and drama rooms are so serious because of the material.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.