as in lifting
to move from a lower to a higher place or position
craned her head to see the roof
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Recent Examples of craning
Necks craning to the back of the hall, a hush fell over the small parochial church of Santa María Trinitá on the African island of São Tomé.
—
Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
At large venues like the Paramount, late entries can mean watching from the upper balcony, craning toward the screen.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
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
Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
At large venues like the Paramount, late entries can mean watching from the upper balcony, craning toward the screen.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for craning
Verb
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Classical music groups in the Twin Cities are rising to the task, with offerings aimed at lifting the spirit, probing the soul, and creating a hopeful vision forward.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
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The diesel shock could force some truckers to park their rigs — lifting rates for operators left standing.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the arc — first raising expectations for a big reveal, then declaring there was nothing to see, and ultimately a forced, flawed document dump — was a stubbornly problematic storyline that ran through her time as attorney general.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Despite recent rain and snow in Northern California, state water officials say the Sierra snowpack remains near historic lows, raising concerns about water availability during the hot summer months.—
Brady Halbleib,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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People spanning the width of the streets are passionately chanting and hoisting their picket signs in a patriotic parade, of sorts.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
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Now, in 2026, there is once again hope that the Knights can end the year hoisting the Open Division title above their heads for the first time.—
Clark Fahrenthold,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Arthur Brooks, in particular, has made a career of elevating his noncommittal waffling into a warped kind of virtue.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Smith is a Marine Corps Purple Heart veteran and an ordained minister whose work challenges traditional monuments by elevating the stories of everyday heroes and historical figures, city officials said in the news release.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Craning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/craning. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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