crank 1 of 3

chiefly dialect

crank

2 of 3

noun

crank

3 of 3

verb

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 crank
Adjective
When the visiting team has been pursuing their No 9 all summer, that’s only going to crank up the volume. Chris Waugh, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2025 Practice Patience And Precision Don't be tempted to crank up the heat and rush your caramel frosting to the right temperature. Josh Miller, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025
Verb
They were attached to gears, cranks and a rod on the outside of her head, so her parents could turn the distractors one millimeter a day for three weeks, slowly moving her bones forward. Sam Gillette, People.com, 20 Aug. 2025 The former is a brick-and-mortar flagship featuring beams hand-hewn by Amish craftspeople over a century ago, as well as a fully operational hand-crank 19th-century elevator. Tanya Benedicto Klich, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for crank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crank
Adjective
  • Fast forward a mere 29 years or so, and Heaven Hill has at last made its triumphant return to Bardstown with its new, enormous, state-of-the-art Heaven Hill Springs Distillery.
    Tony Sachs, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Witnessing the Gallaghers lay down their arms to deliver one of rock music’s most triumphant comeback stories has made Shultz reflect on sharing his band — and life — with his brother, Brad.
    Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In a joyful and unexpected twist, Zimmerer even had the honor of being the flower girl.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The transformation from investment banker to mental health advocate wasn't exactly a joyful moment for Miller.
    Nia Bowers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • For Mimi Pond, the desire to do a book about the Mitford sisters – six larger-than-life British eccentrics (and one brother) who created a stir in both British and American culture – was obvious.
    Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
  • For decades, sovereign citizens largely flew under the radar in Australia as relatively harmless eccentrics with a special interest in conspiracy theories.
    Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Who’s going to climb over all the other crabs and inevitably kill them in order to survive?
    Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The lobster and crab on a baguette at Linden in Los Angeles is a knuckle sandwich that’s also a knuckle sandwich.
    Andy Wang, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • These were not just silly geographical whims, Jessica Winter pointed out at the time.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The Fed’s independence has been central to the United States’ role as the globe’s preeminent economic power; investors worldwide believe the central bank won’t act on a president’s whims.
    Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The in-house caliber 113, a hand-wound movement with a 10-day power reserve, also drives a patented nonlinear power reserve indicator that appears to slow down as the time to wind approaches.
    Carol Besler, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Usually, a pair of scissors or a knife can cut through whatever is wound around it.
    Cody Godwin, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • As Cantillo dissected his outing, Hedges peered over at him, beaming like a proud father.
    Zack Meisel, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
  • But the proud Eugene will not hear of it.
    Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • On a sunny Tuesday morning, 35-year-old Rita Guerrero stepped out from her door on North Mariposa Street, lively pup Olive barely contained by her leash.
    Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Zarutska worked in a lively area of the lower South End dotted with breweries, apartment complexes and coffee shops.
    Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crank. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on crank

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!