CRANK UP Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

crank (up)

verb

Definition of crank (up)

as in to trigger

to cause to function crank up the CD player so we can dance

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for crank (up)

Verb

But authorities said the crews needed to carefully map out a rescue plan since a reckless excavation could risk triggering a secondary collapse, especially with the boulders at the scene.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
Long-term care facilities can be triggering environments, with intimate care often delivered by a changing stream of aides whom residents can't recognize.

— Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026

Definition of trigger

Verb

The company told deputies that someone at the Sheriff's Office or a Flock employee could have reactivated the feature, or that a system bug could have automatically activated it.

— Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 14 July 2026
Press down on the trigger lock switch before squeezing the trigger to activate the blade.

— Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2026

Definition of activate

Verb

His goal sparked an offensive assault from Boise as Portland sank into a deep defensive mould, with five defenders and four midfielders sitting tight in their own box.

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 18 July 2026
Jon Bernthal as Menelaus Menelaus is the king whose wife Helen sparked the Trojan War.

— Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

Definition of spark

Verb

The latest in Houston Salgado Araujo, 52, was driving to work with three other construction crew members when unmarked vehicles carrying federal agents began following his van, his family said.

— Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
When Fumi takes a job at Rin’s clinic planning to expose its darker side, their standoff drives the series, with the story more interested in what pushes people toward transformation than in the surgeries themselves.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 July 2026

Definition of drive

Verb

In May, Elon Musk reportedly spent at least $1 billion to buy an energy company with a fleet of combustion turbines, likely to power his AI model, Grok.

— Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 18 July 2026
Chase Infiniti’s heat coming off One Battle After Another was enough to power her campaign more strongly than her show’s.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 17 July 2026

Definition of power

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cranks (up)

crank (up)

cranky

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“Crank (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crank%20%28up%29. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of crank (up)

verb

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