1
as in eccentrics
a person of odd or whimsical habits
she's a bit of a crank, but still a good-hearted person
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in crabs
an irritable and complaining person
he's always a crank until he has his morning coffee
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in whims
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
his endless and unpredictable cranks made spending time with him exhausting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cranks
Simon Hughes, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
Plus, the human longevity field is notorious for cranks, unproven supplements and fly-by-night clinics.
—Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
Framed as cranks more than reasonable critics, the #FSGOut contingent have penetrated rather than defined the conversation around Liverpool since FSG took control in late 2010.
—Simon Hughes, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
Plus, the human longevity field is notorious for cranks, unproven supplements and fly-by-night clinics.
—Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cranks
Noun
-
For decades, sovereign citizens largely flew under the radar in Australia as relatively harmless eccentrics with a special interest in conspiracy theories.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Both towns are filled with lovable eccentrics, both treat community as a kind of moral center, and both ask us to consider what decency looks like at the local level.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Who’s going to climb over all the other crabs and inevitably kill them in order to survive?—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
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The crabs, by the way, were real (though not alive).—
EW.com,
EW.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The Fed’s independence has been central to the United States’ role as the globe’s preeminent economic power; investors worldwide believe the central bank won’t act on a president’s whims.—
Jackie Calmes,
Mercury News,
30 Aug. 2025
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This should be five-alarm fire for Wall Street, an institution that owes much of its success to the existence of a US monetary policy nerve center that is, by law and by tradition, insulated from the whims of any one party or politician.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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On August 22, Blue Bell Creameries announced a voluntary recall of its 64-ounce Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream due to the presence of undeclared nuts, which pose a risk to individuals with nut allergies.—
Daniel Orton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
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Just roll it over large patches of nuts and the roller collects them quickly.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Regardless of fabrics and notions, even separate from subcategories like evening or outerwear, there are some considerations which remain consistent across all apparel design.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Das maintains a nuanced view of his role as a comedian, rejecting grandiose notions about speaking truth to power.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Residents turn out in pumpkin clothing to celebrate the pumpkin parade that winds its way through the village.—
Katherine Laidlaw,
HubSpot,
5 Sep. 2025
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The train winds through the Great Karoo Desert, a sparsely populated area of vast open plains, savannas, and grassland.—
Alesandra Dubin,
AFAR Media,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The single-elimination tournament is held as hibernating bears reach peak fat after a summer-long effort.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The number of Apple bears just got smaller.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As Minneapolis reels from the shooting, officials are combing through Westman’s rambling writings – which the shooter shared in YouTube videos timed to go online around the same time as the attack – to search for a motive.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
28 Aug. 2025
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As for what a Glee reboot would look like, the mind reels.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cranks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cranks. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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