cracking has definitions from the field of chemistry
1
[ adjective ] making a loud sharp sound as of a rifle shot or a breaking branch or a whip

Examples

"lion tamers with their cracking whips"

Related terms

noisy

2
[ noun ] the act of cracking something

Synonyms

crack fracture

Used in print

(Kenneth Allsop, The Bootleggers and Their Era...)

Unlike the Sicilians , he additionally conducted holdups , robberies , and safe cracking expeditions , and refused to touch prostitution .

Related terms

breakage crack fracture

3
[ noun ] a sudden sharp noise

Synonyms

crack snap

Examples

"the crack of a whip" "he heard the cracking of the ice" "he can hear the snap of a twig"

Related terms

noise crack snap

4
[ adjective ] (informal) very good

Examples

"a bully pulpit" "a neat sports car" "had a great time at the party" "you look simply smashing"

Related terms

colloquialism good

5
[ noun ] (chemistry) the process whereby heavy molecules of naphtha or petroleum are broken down into hydrocarbons of lower molecular weight (especially in the oil-refining process)
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