Illustration of crane
- crane 1
crane
1 of 2noun
ˈkrān 
1
: any of a family (Gruidae of the order Gruiformes) of tall wading birds superficially resembling the herons but structurally more nearly related to the rails
2
: any of several herons
3
: an often horizontal projection swinging about a vertical axis: such as
a
: a machine for raising, shifting, and lowering heavy weights by means of a projecting swinging arm or with the hoisting apparatus supported on an overhead track
b
: an iron arm in a fireplace for supporting kettles
c
: a boom for holding a motion-picture or television camera
crane
2 of 2verb
craned; craning
transitive verb
1
: to raise or lift by or as if by a crane
2
: to stretch toward an object of attention
craning her neck to get a better view
intransitive verb
1
: to stretch one's neck toward an object of attention
I craned out of the window of my compartment
Webb Waldron
Webb Waldron2
: hesitate
Synonyms
Verb
- boost
- elevate
- heave
- heft
- heighten
- hike
- hoist
- jack (up)
- lift
- perk (up)
- pick up
- raise
- take up
- up
- uphold
- uplift
- upraise
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb We craned our necks toward the stage. craned her head to see the roof
Recent Examples on the Web Mario Cortez, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Sep. 2022 Each yacht also comes with an Opacmare crane to deploy and retrieve your dayboats and water toys. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 31 Aug. 2022 This stone pond and fountain would be beautiful enough on its own, but a pair of crane statues truly completes the scene. Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2022 Forrest Anderson also partners with MORSCO HVAC/Bush Supply, who donates the A/C unit and sheet metal, and Smiley Crane Service, who provide the crane service if necessary to the installation, Monell said. Sam Burdette, The Arizona Republic, 19 Aug. 2022 And that happily includes the closing credits, which fans will of course sit through in their entirety, dutifully enduring the names of visual-effects artists and crane operators in exchange for a glimpse of future Marvel superheroics. Justin Changfilm Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2022 Following that up with crane (mainly to knock out more vowels) ended up being a much better guess, bringing my total possibilities down to a measly 6. Erik Kain, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2022 But around the back, where scaffolding had been erected, a hole had been punched into a wall two stories up, to permit the installation of several large works with a crane. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2022 Plans call for removing the helicopter from the river with a large crane. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 28 July 2022 Chloe Berger, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2022 Jonah had to crane his neck over the edge to spot the glow of low tide at Surfside Beach. Jonah and his mom, Stacie Dawn Fang, returned to his room. Matt Sullivan, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2022 Don’t crane your neck watching those Atlanta receivers. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2022 She’s usually the one who forces necks to crane upwards. Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Mar. 2022 The ceiling pieces are also angled so that viewers don’t need to crane their necks to view them. Anne Nickoloff, cleveland, 21 Jan. 2022 Proceedings were slowed by the need to carry building materials up a spiral staircase or crane them in through a window. Ruth Bloomfield, WSJ, 30 Dec. 2021 This whimsical park will especially captivate the attention of young visitors, who may crane their necks to discover the magic on this trail. Patrick Connolly, orlandosentinel.com, 29 Oct. 2021 The images force you to crane your neck to decipher them, or bring the page closer to your face, as if receiving a secret. New York Times, 28 Sep. 2021 See More
Noun
The paper crane cocktail, a dreamy purple libation, is also quite the looker. Mario Cortez, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Sep. 2022 Each yacht also comes with an Opacmare crane to deploy and retrieve your dayboats and water toys. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 31 Aug. 2022 This stone pond and fountain would be beautiful enough on its own, but a pair of crane statues truly completes the scene. Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2022 Forrest Anderson also partners with MORSCO HVAC/Bush Supply, who donates the A/C unit and sheet metal, and Smiley Crane Service, who provide the crane service if necessary to the installation, Monell said. Sam Burdette, The Arizona Republic, 19 Aug. 2022 And that happily includes the closing credits, which fans will of course sit through in their entirety, dutifully enduring the names of visual-effects artists and crane operators in exchange for a glimpse of future Marvel superheroics. Justin Changfilm Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2022 Following that up with crane (mainly to knock out more vowels) ended up being a much better guess, bringing my total possibilities down to a measly 6. Erik Kain, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2022 But around the back, where scaffolding had been erected, a hole had been punched into a wall two stories up, to permit the installation of several large works with a crane. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2022 Plans call for removing the helicopter from the river with a large crane. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 28 July 2022 Verb
No longer able to crane their necks around the cubicle and check in on workers, more employers have turned to monitoring digital productivity instead. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2022 Jonah had to crane his neck over the edge to spot the glow of low tide at Surfside Beach. Jonah and his mom, Stacie Dawn Fang, returned to his room. Matt Sullivan, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2022 Don’t crane your neck watching those Atlanta receivers. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2022 She’s usually the one who forces necks to crane upwards. Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Mar. 2022 The ceiling pieces are also angled so that viewers don’t need to crane their necks to view them. Anne Nickoloff, cleveland, 21 Jan. 2022 Proceedings were slowed by the need to carry building materials up a spiral staircase or crane them in through a window. Ruth Bloomfield, WSJ, 30 Dec. 2021 This whimsical park will especially captivate the attention of young visitors, who may crane their necks to discover the magic on this trail. Patrick Connolly, orlandosentinel.com, 29 Oct. 2021 The images force you to crane your neck to decipher them, or bring the page closer to your face, as if receiving a secret. New York Times, 28 Sep. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English cran, from Old English; akin to Old High German krano crane, Greek geranos, Latin grus
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1570, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Phrases Containing crane
Kids Definition
crane 1 of 2
noun
ˈkrān
1
: a large tall wading bird with a long neck, bill, and legs
2
: a machine with a swinging arm for lifting and carrying heavy weights
crane
2 of 2verb
craned; craning
: to stretch the neck to see better
Neighbors craned out the window to see the parade.
Biographical Definition
Crane 1 of 3
biographical name (1)
ˈkrān
(Harold) Hart 1899–1932 American poet
Crane
2 of 3biographical name (2)
Stephen 1871–1900 American writer
Crane
3 of 3biographical name (3)
Walter 1845–1915 English artist
craned
verb
as in lifted
to move from a lower to a higher place or position craned her head to see the roof Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- lifted
- hoisted
- raised
- heaved
- elevated
- uplifted
- hefted
- hiked
- upraised
- heightened
- mounted
- upheld
- hove
- upped
- boosted
- picked up
- took up
- ascended
- rose
- reared
- jacked (up)
- perked (up)
- upended
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- lowered
- dropped
- fell
- slipped
- pushed
- descended
- pressed
- bore
- plunged
- dipped
- pitched
- sunk
- sank
- depressed
- submerged