cracked

American  

[krakt] / krækt /

adjective

1. broken.

   a container full of cracked ice.

2. broken without separation of parts; fissured.

3. damaged; injured.

4. Informal. eccentric; mad; daffy.

   a charming person, but a bit cracked.

5. broken in tone, as the voice.

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idioms

1. cracked up to be, reported or reputed to be (usually used in the negative).

   I hear the play is not what it's cracked up to be.

cracked British  

/ krækt /

adjective

1. damaged by cracking

2. informal crazy

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Other Word Forms

• uncracked adjective

Etymology

Origin of cracked

First recorded in 1400–50, cracked is from the late Middle English word crachyd. See crack, -ed ²

Example Sentences

He’s often referred to as the man who cracked the secret to going viral: With over 450 million subscribers, he now runs the most popular YouTube channel in the world.

From The Wall Street Journal

On the morning of the eruption itself, the volcanic rock cracked overhead while people continued to go about their business.

From The Wall Street Journal

Baber now says he has cracked the Zodiac killer’s identity, and in the process solved the Black Dahlia case as well.

From Los Angeles Times

He said that investing in energy should eventually help to bring costs almost down to zero, if technologies like fusion can be “cracked,” noting how quickly solar and wind costs have fallen in recent years.

From The Wall Street Journal

“A Complete Unknown” eventually cracked Billboard’s list of the top 10 highest-grossing music biopics.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• broken
• damaged
• fractured