1
as in crab
an irritable and complaining person
he's always a crank until he has his morning coffee
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits
she's a bit of a crank, but still a good-hearted person
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in whim
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
his endless and unpredictable cranks made spending time with him exhausting
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in triumphant
having or expressing feelings of joy or triumph
you shouldn't feel so crank, considering that you beat the worst softball team in the league
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in joyful
joyously unrestrained
folks around here are downright crank that a local boy won a gold medal in the Olympics
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crank
New Atlas, 8 May 2026
Her octopus was named Marcellus McSquiddles, an aging crank who notes his days of captivity in a Puget Sound aquarium as if on death row, but also recognizes the night janitor, Tova, is lonely and grieving.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
John Meyer, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026
April is typically Florida’s driest month, and as temperatures increase, rainfall lags behind plants’ water needs so people tend to crank up their irrigation.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crank
Noun
That engine produces around 400 hp at the crank, bolstering a top speed of 187 mph (~300 km/h).
—New Atlas, 8 May 2026
Her octopus was named Marcellus McSquiddles, an aging crank who notes his days of captivity in a Puget Sound aquarium as if on death row, but also recognizes the night janitor, Tova, is lonely and grieving.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Verb
But the weather turned colder last week, allowing the students, most of whom are preparing for jobs in the ski industry, to crank up the snowmaking guns last weekend.
—John Meyer, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026
April is typically Florida’s driest month, and as temperatures increase, rainfall lags behind plants’ water needs so people tend to crank up their irrigation.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crank
Noun
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The brunch menu includes dishes such as a short rib hash, lemon blueberry ricotta pancakes and crab cake benedict.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
July 20,
Sacbee.com,
20 July 2025
-
The market also sells a variety of fresh meat, including a live seafood section with tanks of lobsters, eels and crabs.—
Rachel Schlueter,
Kansas City Star,
17 July 2025
Noun
-
The logger and railsplitter occasionally encounters American eccentrics, like a chatty drifter prone to sporting bible verses and an old coot of a demolitions expert with a philosophical bent.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
23 Nov. 2025
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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
Noun
-
Their whims can have the status of law.—
MICHAEL KIMMAGE,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Dec. 2025
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But, as always, the team will operate according to the whims of owner Arte Moreno.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
8 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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In an instant – or rather, through a grueling, ugly, then gritty, then triumphant Game 5 – that temporal distance is temporarily undone.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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And that has moved a race that should have been a triumphant pickup for the Dems into one that people just feel intensely nervous about.—
Hanna Rosin,
The Atlantic,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
My mother’s world is held together by small, joyful acts of togetherness.—
Lucia Aronica,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
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Sometimes called America’s backyard, the South Lawn was until now known for low-contact sports and joyful events geared toward children or bipartisanship, like the annual Easter Egg Roll or the congressional picnic.—
Will Weissert,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Set the scene A 10-minute drive up the winding road from Monte-Carlo, The Maybourne Riviera has been built on a cliff face above the village of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, in a convenient location just between Menton and Monaco, with Mount Agel behind.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
-
Visitors can walk the winding 77 steps to the top.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Noun
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One of the more common ways bear encounters escalate is when an off-leash dog runs toward a bear, annoys it, and then comes sprinting back to its owner with an angry predator in pursuit.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
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The parasite has the cattle and dairy industry on edge, but in Mexico, screwworm has also been found in bears, pigs, goats, and even dogs and cats.—
John Lauritsen,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Poor harvests of nuts and fruit are pushing bears to seek food elsewhere.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
11 Dec. 2025
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While neither nut is inherently better than the other, each offers unique benefits for overall health to consider.—
Patty Weasler,
Verywell Health,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crank. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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