cranked (up)

verb

past tense of crank (up)
as in activated
to cause to function crank up the CD player so we can dance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cranked (up)
  1. activated
  2. triggered
  3. sparked
  4. drove
  5. set off
Verb
  • When activated, this mode will automatically take a video and a high-quality still photo at the right moment, leveraging the phone’s image processing to crop and remove blur.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026
  • If it's not already activated, turn it on by going into Settings, General, and Keyboard, and toggle on Slide to Type.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of activated
Verb
  • Tatis triggered a sequence that tied the game in the eighth inning.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Late last month, The Wall Street Journal reported an internal whistleblower complaint about Walter’s Guggenheim Investments triggered a federal investigation.
    — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of triggered
Verb
  • Reports that federal immigration enforcement agencies have accessed Flock data, dozens of officers have abused the system to stalk women, and police have logged hundreds of searches related to protest activity sparked successive waves of backlash.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Despite the bravado expressed by top officials, anxiety about the economy persists after high inflation and a currency crash sparked nationwide protests that were put down by a brutal crackdown in January.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of sparked
Verb
  • The Lions drove to the Bengals 33 on the first series before Jordan Battle picked off Altmyer at the 25 after the pass went off the hands of wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • And high costs and risky conditions along the route had already complicated Putin’s vision – even before Russia’s war against Ukraine drove international players from its Arctic territory.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of drove
Verb
  • The heist goes wrong when one sister injures her back and ends up trapped on the second floor, setting off an increasingly frantic bid to get out before the homeowner comes home.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The death of the youthful, charismatic Kennedy, leaving behind his young family, set off a wave of national mourning.
    — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of set off
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

cranked out
cranked (up)
crankiness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cranked (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cranked%20%28up%29. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All