1 B1 neutral
To physically break or force a way through a hard surface or barrier.
"The drill finally cracked through the concrete after an hour of work."
inseparable
crack through
B2 neutral inseparable transitive/intransitive
To force a way through something, or to make significant progress through a difficult task or barrier.
In plain English
To push through something hard, like a wall or a big pile of work.
What does "crack through" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To make significant progress through a large amount of work or a difficult problem.
"I managed to crack through most of the emails by lunchtime."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To split or fracture something in order to pass through it.
Actually means
To push through something hard, like a wall or a big pile of work.
Usage tip
Used both literally (physical barriers) and figuratively (workloads, problems). Less common than 'break through' in most contexts.
Words that pair with "crack through"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
barrier workload ice surface resistance backlog
How to conjugate "crack through"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
crack through
I/you/we/they
3rd person
cracks through
he/she/it
Past simple
cracked through
yesterday
Past participle
cracked through
have + pp
-ing form
cracking through
continuous
Hear "crack through" in the wild
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