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 incident triggered a grand jury investigation.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026 -
These seemingly innocuous actions can kindle dry grass, potentially triggering a wildfire.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The lefty underwent an elbow cleanup procedure at the start of the offseason; the Yankees hope to activate him sometime in April.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Like a grill, when activated by an operator, the drone stations open a lid.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Graves’ exit has sparked intense speculation about his potential successor to represent Missouri’s 6th Congressional District, which stretches across northern Missouri and touches Kansas City’s Northland.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
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The story quickly sparked fury among Threads users, with many siding with the original poster and criticizing the seat swap request.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The decision to inaugurate the first urban Six Senses property in Rome was partially driven by the owner’s love of all things Italian and is part of a new drive to bring sanctuaries to bigger cities.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
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Objects that are outdoors should be secured and caution should be taken if driving.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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While none of the commodities are traded as widely as oil, the surge indicates how ripple effects from the Middle East conflict could end up restricting production of the semiconductors that power artificial intelligence advances.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
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Cylinders of fluid gas, which power everything from taxicabs to cooking appliances, vanished from many distributors.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 2026.
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