: 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
An American flag fluttered from a crane parked at the mouth of the driveway.—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025 While watching a nesting crane keeping a chick warm beneath its feathers, she was startled when a bright yellow gosling popped out instead of a crane colt.—Anne Readel, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 June 2025
Verb
Her grandpa had been a crop-duster in his younger days, and Dyer remembers the two of them driving through the fields and pausing to crane their heads out the window when planes flew overhead, showering the earth, and Dyer, with pesticides.—Kate Raphael, Discover Magazine, 23 June 2025 The four of us craned our necks, keeping a lookout for an incident.—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 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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