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

Mom’s voice cracked on the word school, and Jonah decided this was nothing like those times she tried to catch him or Katherine in a lie.

From Literature

With a rock and a spike, she punched a hole and drank the juice, cracked the shell and pried out the flesh.

From Literature

Authorities cracked down on the scheme last week with the arrest of nine people, mostly Chinese nationals.

From The Wall Street Journal

The unprecedented access shows how these cases are often cracked, not through state-of-the-art technology, but by spotting tiny revealing details in images or chat forums.

From BBC

“We don’t have a permit,” cracked host Ego Nwodim, riffing on scrappy independent tactics in her monologue.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• broken
• damaged
• fractured