cracked up

Idioms  

1. Past tense of crack up .

2. cracked up to be . Reputed to be. This expression is always used in a negative way, as in I don't think this book is all it's cracked up to be . It relies on the now obsolete use of to crack up to mean “to praise extravagantly.” It appeared in The Kentuckian : “He is not the thing he is cracked up for” (May 28, 1829). [Early 1800s]

3. Under the influence of crack (a form of cocaine). For example, “Who's cracked up, who's cracked out, and who's dead?” ( World News Tonight , ABC-TV, May 12, 1992). [1980s]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cracked up

It’s a presentation, a release valve, an acknowledgement that heterosexuality — for everyone — is not always what it’s cracked up to be.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026

Companies are rushing to cash in on “functional snacking,” but experts warn that the health benefits of fiber treats might not be all they’re cracked up to be.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

"I just cracked up laughing of course, because that's what any woman would want to hear, but it's our life, so it's pretty wonderful. He was a man of his word."

From BBC ● May 11, 2025

As for whether AI is actually all it’s cracked up to be, according to its promoters — that reckoning is still to come.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2025

I heard a car door open, heard a loud pop, then heard Byron say, “Awww, man . . .” Me and Joey cracked up.

From "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" by Christopher Paul Curtis