as in lifting
to move from a lower to a higher place or position
craned her head to see the roof
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of craning
This color is eye-catching, turning heads and craning the necks of everyone from the elderly to state police.
—
Jesus R. Garcia, Houston Chronicle, 4 Jan. 2026
All of those spacecraft craning their necks to track a single object on command from Earth amount to nothing short of a sort of cosmic infrastructure, built and deployed by humans throughout their local solar system.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 20 Nov. 2025
Hours after word emerged of the federal buildup, several Oaklanders pulled up to the bridge off Embarcadero and Dennison Street leading to Coast Guard Island, craning their necks to see the buildup for themselves.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
Jesus R. Garcia, Houston Chronicle, 4 Jan. 2026
All of those spacecraft craning their necks to track a single object on command from Earth amount to nothing short of a sort of cosmic infrastructure, built and deployed by humans throughout their local solar system.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 20 Nov. 2025
Hours after word emerged of the federal buildup, several Oaklanders pulled up to the bridge off Embarcadero and Dennison Street leading to Coast Guard Island, craning their necks to see the buildup for themselves.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for craning
Verb
-
Juraj Slafkovsky put Montreal in front less than five minutes before the second intermission, lifting a wrist shot over Kuemper’s glove from the slot.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
On Sunday afternoon, Nathan MacKinnon scored the decisive goal in a shootout, lifting the Avalanche to a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Wild in their final meeting of the regular season.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and Sinomine Resource Group are also constructing lithium sulfate plants tied to their Zimbabwean mines, raising questions about whether the country is building an independent refining sector or simply deepening its role inside China’s battery ecosystem.—
Ray Mwayera,
semafor.com,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Unlike chatbots that simply respond to prompts, AI agents can take proactive actions, which often require broader access to data and systems, raising privacy and security concerns.—
Evelyn Cheng,Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
White nationalists at Charlottesville marched hoisting Roman flags, and far-right internet personalities adopted Roman pseudonyms.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
But plenty of other contenders made trades to take a shot at hoisting hockey’s hallowed trophy, including the Central Division rival Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hegseth apparently delighted in dispensing death and elevating and glorifying war.—
Casey Ryan Kelly,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The investment is a surprising move for Lee, who focuses his content on mom-and-pop restaurants, usually with an aim of elevating them to his audience.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Craning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/craning. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
