: 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
Verb
We craned our necks toward the stage. craned her head to see the roof
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Guests dined at a 224-foot marble table at the reception
A 224-foot imperial marble table — which had to be hoisted in by a crane — served as the focal point of the reception.—Nicole Briese, Peoplemag, 24 May 2024 The universal nature of the pontoons permitted construction of an array of floating structures, including dredges, barges, floating cranes, workshops, storehouses and gas stations, tug boats, pile drivers and dry docks.—Frank A. Blazich Jr., The Conversation, 20 May 2024
Verb
As its blades whirred, guests craned their necks to watch as Mr. Boesky emerged in a tuxedo and black tie, by all accounts looking like a latter-day James Bond and completely upstaging the host family.—Leslie Wayne, New York Times, 20 May 2024 Cohen tried to crane his neck around the judge's bench, but couldn't see him.—Graham Kates, CBS News, 13 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for crane
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crane.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
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