Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Decomposition of a complex substance by the application of steam, a catalyst, or heat, especially the breaking of petroleum molecules into shorter molecules to extract low-boiling fractions such as gasoline.
- adjective Excellent; great.
- adverb Used as an intensive.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The act of breaking; a breaking or snapping.
- noun A more or less loud sound of breaking or snapping; a resounding noise.
- noun A process by which a compound made up of elements of varying volatility may be analyzed and the components separated by successively raising the temperature of the mixture, so that they are distilled off successively in the order of their volatility: used specifically of petroleum compounds, which in the refining process are separated by increasing the temperature of distillation.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun the act of cracking something.
- noun (Chem.) the process of making lower molecular weight hydrocarbons from heavier hydrocarbons in petroleum, by exposure to heat and catalysts. It is used to convert heavier alkanes into gasoline, or to improve the octane number of an alkane mixture.
- adjective informal same as
groovy , sense 1.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun chemistry The
thermal decomposition of asubstance , especially that ofcrude petroleum in order to producepetrol /gasoline . - noun The formation of
cracks on a surface - adjective
Great - adjective
Enjoyable . - adverb UK
Very , usually associated withpraise . - verb Present participle of
crack .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective very good
- noun the act of cracking something
- noun the process whereby heavy molecules of naphtha or petroleum are broken down into hydrocarbons of lower molecular weight (especially in the oil-refining process)
- noun a sudden sharp noise
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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He made his name cracking down on drug cartel violence in his home state of Baja California by forging close cooperation between military and civilian law-enforcement officials.
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“Thus far, what you call cracking down has only produced more resistance,” Luaran noted.
The Battle of Betazed Charlotte Douglas 2002
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“Thus far, what you call cracking down has only produced more resistance,” Luaran noted.
The Battle of Betazed Charlotte Douglas 2002
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And, you know, a packed-dirt dam cracking is not as exotic, I guess, as those cooling towers.
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And, you know, a packed-dirt dam cracking is not as exotic, I guess, as those cooling towers.
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But it will cause the regime to feel less restrained in cracking down on movements such as the newly formed Charter 08, whose manifesto in favor of democratic change has been signed by more than 8,000 Chinese from all walks of life.
Matthew Yglesias » Does Silence Demoralize Chinese Human Rights Activists? 2009
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And, you know, a packed-dirt dam cracking is not as exotic, I guess, as those cooling towers.
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And, you know, a packed-dirt dam cracking is not as exotic, I guess, as those cooling towers.
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And, you know, a packed-dirt dam cracking is not as exotic, I guess, as those cooling towers.
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And, you know, a packed-dirt dam cracking is not as exotic, I guess, as those cooling towers.
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