: 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
Verb
We craned our necks toward the stage. craned her head to see the roof
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Noun
Wild rice also is an essential food source for many of the migratory birds in the area, including many species of ducks, pheasants, owls, cranes, geese and songbirds.—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 2 Sep. 2025 One fire truck is parked right next to the jet with firefighters standing on the crane of the truck, which is raised to the cabin door of the aircraft.—Escher Walcott, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
Diners at Balthazar craned their heads over the crowds.—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 18 Aug. 2025 Once each component was completed, it was craned into place, secured, and connected on-site, streamlining assembly and ensuring system-level flexibility.—David Blekhman, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for crane
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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