cracker
/ˈkrækə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkrækər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkra-kər/ (ame, mw)
cracker — noun
- crackersingular
- crackersplural
1. a crisp, usually flat savoury biscuit that snaps easily and is often eaten with
a crisp, usually flat savoury biscuit that snaps easily and is often eaten with cheese, soup, or a spread.
Emma spread soft cheese on a cracker before handing the plate around.
cracker with cheese — common serving pattern
The waiter brought tomato soup with two plain crackers on the side.
crackers with soup — typical pairing
Christopher kept a packet of salt crackers in his desk for late meetings.
After the picnic, only one broken cracker was left in the tin.
- biscuit
broader word; can also include sweeter baked snacks in British English
- wafer
usually thinner and lighter than a cracker
- crispbread
typically larger and more bread-like than an ordinary cracker
文法句型
eat a cracker
cracker with cheese
packet of crackers
用法筆記
Usually refers to a dry savoury biscuit rather than a soft sweet treat. Distinguish from sense 5, which is the paper party item people pull apart at the table.
常見錯誤
2. a person or a tool that works out a code, password, or number lock by finding th
a person or a tool that works out a code, password, or number lock by finding the pattern or testing many possibilities.
The museum hired a code cracker to read numbers in the old diary.
code cracker + solve hidden message
Our security team ran a password cracker against weak test accounts.
password cracker + test weak accounts
The safe company sells a cracker that checks number patterns automatically.
Hari built a simple cracker to guess short Wi-Fi passwords.
- codebreaker
more usual for a person solving secret writing
- decoder
often describes a device rather than a human solver
文法句型
code cracker
password cracker
cracker + for + passwords
用法筆記
This sense can refer to either a person or a device. Distinguish from sense 3: here the focus is solving the code or lock itself, not breaking into a whole computer system.
常見錯誤
3. someone who enters another person's computer system without permission, usually
someone who enters another person's computer system without permission, usually to steal information, change data, or cause damage.
A cracker copied customer records from the travel company's server overnight.
cracker + copy stolen data from server
Police arrested the cracker after he broke into the bank's network.
break into + network for illegal access
The school warned parents that a cracker had changed students' login passwords.
Amani reported the cracker when strange files appeared on the office computer.
- hacker
common everyday word, especially in news reports about cybercrime
- intruder
broader word that can describe illegal entry into a system
- cybercriminal
more formal and stresses the criminal act itself
- security analyst
a person who protects systems instead of attacking them
文法句型
cracker + break into + system
cracker + steal + data
a cracker attacked the network
用法筆記
In everyday news English this sense is close to hacker and usually implies criminal activity. Distinguish from sense 2, which can describe a code-solving person or tool without meaning a network intruder.
常見錯誤
4. a large refinery machine used to break heavy oil into smaller chemical products.
a large refinery machine used to break heavy oil into smaller chemical products.
Engineers shut the cracker down before replacing a damaged metal pipe.
shut the cracker down — plant operation pattern
The new cracker helps the refinery produce more petrol from thick oil.
cracker in an oil refinery
A warning light flashed when pressure inside the cracker rose too quickly.
Workers in hard hats checked the cracker from a platform above the tanks.
- cracking unit
more technical term in refinery writing
- reactor
broader industrial word and not always specific to cracking
文法句型
shut the cracker down
pressure inside the cracker
run the cracker
用法筆記
Used mainly in the oil and chemical industry. It names the equipment where heavy hydrocarbons are split into smaller products, not the workers who operate the plant.
常見錯誤
5. a decorated paper tube for parties, especially Christmas meals in the UK, that p
a decorated paper tube for parties, especially Christmas meals in the UK, that pops when two people pull it apart and usually holds a small gift or joke.
At dinner, Min and her aunt pulled a cracker and laughed at the paper crown.
pull a cracker + paper crown
Each place on the table had a silver cracker beside the napkin.
cracker set at each place
The children argued over who would keep the toy from the cracker.
Lucía saved the joke from her cracker and read it again on the train.
- Christmas cracker
more explicit name for the same party item
- party favour
broader term; not every party favour pops when pulled
文法句型
pull a cracker
cracker with a paper hat
joke from a cracker
用法筆記
Most common in British English and strongly linked to Christmas meals and parties. Distinguish from sense 6, the explosive firework that is lit outside.
常見錯誤
6. a small firework that bursts with a sharp bang when you light it.
a small firework that bursts with a sharp bang when you light it.
The boy lit a cracker in the lane, and the dog ran indoors.
light a cracker — typical verb
A string of crackers went off behind the temple before sunrise.
string of crackers + go off
Hoa covered her ears when the first cracker exploded near the gate.
Shop owners banned crackers after one sparked a small fire outside.
- firecracker
more explicit word, especially when you want to stress the fireworks sense
- banger
informal British word for a loud firework
文法句型
light a cracker
set off crackers
cracker exploded
用法筆記
Common with verbs like light, set off, and explode. Distinguish from sense 5, which is the paper party item pulled open by hand rather than a firework with a fuse.
常見錯誤
7. something, or sometimes a person, that is especially good, lively, or amusing.
something, or sometimes a person, that is especially good, lively, or amusing.
That last song was a cracker, and the whole bus sang the chorus.
be a cracker — direct praise
Everyone said the young keeper was a cracker in Saturday's match.
cracker used for a person
Maeve brought a cracker of a story to the campfire after dinner.
The little café is a cracker once the lights come on at night.
- dud
informal opposite for something disappointing
文法句型
be a cracker
a cracker of a + noun
用法筆記
Informal and chiefly British. It often appears after be or in the pattern a cracker of a + noun to praise something as unusually good or enjoyable.
常見錯誤
8. a harsh slur aimed at low-income white people, especially in the American South.
a harsh slur aimed at low-income white people, especially in the American South.
The documentary explains why cracker is offensive in many American communities.
quoted discussion of an offensive term
Our teacher said cracker appears in old stories, but students should not use it.
usage warning: discussed, not recommended
In the article, the speaker was condemned for calling his neighbour a cracker.
The museum label notes that cracker was used as a class insult in the South.
- redneck
related and also sensitive, but broader and not identical in meaning
- poor white
descriptive phrase that names the group without using a slur
文法句型
call somebody a cracker
cracker is offensive
use the word cracker
用法筆記
Strongly offensive and best treated as a historical or quoted term. It appears mainly in reporting about class prejudice in the US South, not as a neutral description.