crackberry

C3R1A1C3K5B3E1R1R1Y4

noun

A BlackBerry, a handheld device considered addictive for its networking capability.

RareScrabble 23

Meanings

nouncrackberry (plural crackberries)

plural crackberries · alternative Crackberry · alternative CrackBerry

  1. slangA BlackBerry, a handheld device considered addictive for its networking capability.

    2005 October 1, Waxer, Cindy, Chief Executive (U.S.), Chief Executive Publishing Today, over 50,000 organizations and 3 million subscribers count on BlackBerry, dubbed 'crackberry' for its addictiveness, to receive and deliver email messages on the spot.

    5 more examples

    […]many people call theirs a CrackBerry. This thing is absolutely addictive! This unit can websurf, send/receive email,[…]

    2001 May 15, Steve Pyles, “Blackberry^([sic]) Service around WDW”, in rec.arts.disney.parks (Usenet), message-ID <S3PSc5WZOHkJ>

    Phone and handheld computer US$449 www.blackberry.com The corporate gold standard, once called "crackberries" in Silicon Valley because executives seemed addicted to them.

    2003 December 1, Greg Brown, Latin Trade, Freedom Magazines, Inc. BlackBerry 7210

    2005 March 1, Ron Seigneur (interviewee), Rick Telberg (author), Journal of Accountancy, American Institute of CPA's I just moved to a Treo 600 to replace my old cell phone and my Palm Pilot. Not quite a "Crackberry," but I just cannot stand those who have to check e-mail every five minutes.

    The Blackberry^([sic]) mobile office typifies this workstyle with[…]levels of stress generated in the individual such that productivity may be quantitative but not necessarily qualitative (the “Crackberry” syndrome).

    2005 October, Paul Cunningham, M. Cunningham, editors, Innovation and the Knowledge Economy: Issues, Applications, Case Studies, IOS Press, page 1368

    […]Roberts seemed driven to distraction by whatever was on the screen of his "CrackBerry"—which is what the infernal devices were nicknamed by their hopelessly addicted users.

    2006 February, Bill Sammon, “BlackBerry Blues”, in Strategery: How George W. Bush Is Defeating Terrorists, Outwitting Democrats, and Confounding the Mainstream Media, Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing, →ISBN, page 1

Origin

Blend of crack + BlackBerry, suggesting the addictive nature of crack cocaine. Compare heroinware.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

crackberry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crackberry

MLA

“crackberry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crackberry. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crackberry,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crackberry.

Source: crackberry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.