as in to trigger
to cause to function
crank up the CD player so we can dance
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crank (up)
Verb
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The landslide was triggered by heavy rains, but ex-miners blame unsafe conditions.—
Justin Kabumba,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026 -
If the infection is not contained by the body’s immune response, the bacteria destroys lung tissue which can trigger chest pain and coughing up of mucus or blood.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Neuroscience has long shown that watching another person experience pain activates the same neural regions as experiencing pain ourselves.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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His candidacy sparked sharp divisions, with supporters portraying him as a symbol of stability and opponents denouncing him as a reminder of authoritarian rule and unresolved war crimes.—
Nic Robertson,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
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Senate Bill 26-005 comes after federal agents shot and killed two American citizens who were at immigration operations in Minnesota, sparking protests across the country.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Violent confrontations targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota are being driven by outside actors exploiting chaos, not organic protest, according to a protest insider warning that the situation is rapidly spiraling.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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The driver then drove into the city of Wheat Ridge and allegedly crashed into a Honda Pilot near Pierce Street and West 32nd Avenue several minutes later before continuing on.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nations that can reliably power the infrastructure underpinning advanced technologies will hold structural advantages in the 21st century.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Georgia Power is among several electric companies in the South building new natural gas plants to meet the unprecedented electricity demand for data centers, warehouses packed with servers that power artificial intelligence and our digital lives.—
Kristi Swartz,
AJC.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Crank (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crank%20%28up%29. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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