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

On both sides of the street, the sidewalk rises and falls, uprooted and cracked by shallow roots because over many decades, the trees were not properly maintained.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

And then, after giving birth to her second child during the pandemic, she cracked.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

At the time, the irreverent news website had seemingly cracked the code for social-media virality.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

Recently, both Amazon’s and Google’s TV apparatuses have cracked down on sideloading—the practice of downloading apps from third-party providers—by exclusively permitting downloads from their parent companies’ authorized app stores.

From Slate • May 3, 2026

“Not bad, right?” came a voice, and I jumped and cracked my head hard on the stone ceiling.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Related Words

• broken
• damaged
• fractured