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
Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 7 Apr. 2026
The Republican Party embraced neoconservatism; Buchanan and his cohort were the stewards of an ideology for cranks.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 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
Trooper, which sells a 75-item box equipped with water pouches, meal bars, and a hand-crank radio, designed to sustain a family of four for 72 hours, built its kits after the 2024 floods but has found an altogether different audience since the missile and drone volleys started, AGBI reported.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 7 Apr. 2026
The Republican Party embraced neoconservatism; Buchanan and his cohort were the stewards of an ideology for cranks.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 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
-
Obviously, the chargrilled lobster is mouthwateringly good but ask the chef to fix you an off-menu crab rarebit.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
-
Shrimp tempura, soft shell crab, popcorn shrimp, codfish and tuna sticks lacked labels with date and four-hour discard time.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
May 15,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
But what the New Yorker writer left behind is some of the finest prose of the 20th century, focusing primarily on the eccentrics, scalawags, seamen, and other denizens of New York’s dank corners.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
2 May 2026
-
The town’s overflowing with charming Midwest eccentrics, including a cocky mayor (Henry Winkler) and a welcoming barkeep (Lena Headey).—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
By their very nature, pop-ups are fluid and subject to the whims of weather.—
Sam Flemming,
AJC.com,
20 May 2026
-
But one invite is intensely coveted, small in supply and high in demand—and subject to the whims of one single 71-year-old cable TV billionaire.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
Another new thought, presented with the triumphant tone of someone comfortable rooting around in her own thoughts having found le mot juste.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
18 May 2026
-
In this triumphant tour de force, Crain and a group of fertility patients reckon with the threats to their family future, unearthing hope from an unsettled legal landscape.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince William are the royal family members who currently helm the events, and Goulding shared a joyful message about her ceremony to remember on Wednesday.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
-
Larry’s reunion with his wife and children at Anchorage was a joyful thing to watch, and the rest of us will never forget those phone calls to our families.—
Ben East,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Both cases have been winding their way through state courts, with no decisive resolution.—
Annie Ma,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2026
-
Touge races, in which players drift down the winding curves of a mountain like Takumi Fujiwara in his Toyota AE86.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
The drought is being blamed for an increase in bear sightings around Arvada, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.—
Jennifer McRae,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
There is something gentle and teddy-bear-ish about him, but it’s tempered by a New Yorker’s world-weariness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Save room for the Stillwell’s chili as course two, made with Harwood Premium Beef (HWD), corn nuts, chilis and a cheese Monray sauce.—
Ella Gonzales
May 22,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 May 2026
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Unscrew the nut that's keeping the P-trap in place and remove it from the pipes.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
21 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crank. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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