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
Beyond the glass, across a small rocky strip of water, the zoo’s eldest giraffe is craning his impossibly long, elegant neck up to a hanging basket of foliage and methodically stripping the branches of their bark.
—
Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 11 May 2026
Joshua appeared as surprised as any of us, craning around as if the words had been blurted by someone on the periphery.
—Chang-Rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 2026
This flexible holder attaches easily to your seatback tray table and adjusts to multiple angles, allowing for hands-free viewing without craning your neck.
—Samantha Leal, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2026
Crowds of bird fans carrying smartphones and cameras are craning daily for a look at its silly walk, while mostly maintaining a respectful distance.
—ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
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
Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 11 May 2026
Joshua appeared as surprised as any of us, craning around as if the words had been blurted by someone on the periphery.
—Chang-Rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 2026
This flexible holder attaches easily to your seatback tray table and adjusts to multiple angles, allowing for hands-free viewing without craning your neck.
—Samantha Leal, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2026
Crowds of bird fans carrying smartphones and cameras are craning daily for a look at its silly walk, while mostly maintaining a respectful distance.
—ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for craning
Verb
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No doubt the bill of materials will be lower on this twelve-month-old design, lifting the margins on what will remain the current vanilla handset.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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Appropriately, 19 miles east of their first major trophy lift since the 2021/22 League Cup, City men busied themselves by lifting the FA Cup over Chelsea in what was Pep Guardiola’s 24th visit to Wembley Stadium and his 20th major trophies as City manager.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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The governing body said the show would support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is raising $100 million to help children access education and soccer.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
-
Israel’s national security minister inflamed the situation with a provocative visit to the contested Al Aqsa Mosque compound, raising concerns about Jerusalem’s status in the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
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That’s 22 golfers in all that history says have at least a shot at hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday night outside of Philadelphia.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
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Crews rigged a hoisting system using a ladder truck as a high point to raise the victim up to safety, according to fire officials.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
13 May 2026
Verb
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While her defensive energy contributed to the team’s depth, a scoreless night highlighted the utter absurdity of the league elevating a backup guard over the most prolific scorer in basketball history, especially on a night when the team was already missing its star center.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
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As reported, Gucci is anchoring the core of its business in a strong midprice proposition between 2,000 euros and 3,000 euros, elevating its top tier with distinctive details and richer materials, and redesigning entry level styles without compromising quality.—
Emily Mercer,
Footwear News,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Craning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/craning. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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