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
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
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
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
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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Tasks that must be completed quickly and require complex dexterity will be better suited to humans, whereas repetitive actions that include, for example, lifting heavy objects and low safety environments will be best for robots.—
Dr. Jonathan Reichental,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
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Only two years ago, Madrid were lifting their record-extending 15th Champions League title at Wembley while some voices around the squad were telling The Athletic the dressing room was one of the most united in years.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Since the event’s conception in 2013, more than 60,000 donors have helped hundreds of nonprofit organizations in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties raising more than $117 million, according to the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
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Clark’s legal team has also highlighted the role of the lead detective in the case, who was later convicted in an unrelated matter involving perjury and evidence tampering, further raising questions about the original investigation.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The event drew families — kids carrying band instruments, parents hoisting small children on their shoulders.—
Lisa Song,
ProPublica,
7 May 2026
-
The statue depicts a man in a suit hoisting a large flag.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
NPR,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Via one of popular music’s most stratospherically elevating climaxes, the song shifts into gospel overdrive with the explosive entrance of disco’s mightiest, most visceral vocalist, Loleatta Holloway.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2026
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There is a fine line between elevating the league and overshadowing it.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Craning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/craning. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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