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
ArsTechnica, 16 Apr. 2026
The Republican Party embraced neoconservatism; Buchanan and his cohort were the stewards of an ideology for cranks.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
These ideas have thrived through generations of cranks and propagandists and are now omnipresent.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
In 2018, the state legislature passed a law that outlawed the possession and sale of bump stocks, along with trigger cranks and devices that make the gun operate like an automatic weapon.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2026
But as with the dismantling of huge swaths of our research capacity, the original refusal to even consider this mRNA flu vaccine on what are obviously ideological grounds shows future potential for the FDA to affect a hell of a lot more people than just the cranks who agree with them.
—The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
Early locations had a giant clown head popping out of a square box on the roof, based on children’s jack-in-the-box toys, music boxes with cranks that, when turned, cause figures to pop out of their lids.
—Fielding Buck, Oc Register, 16 Feb. 2026
But as with the dismantling of huge swaths of our research capacity, this refusal to even consider this mRNA flu vaccine on what are obviously ideological grounds is going to affect a hell of a lot more people than just the cranks who agree with them.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026
There’s a cast of wanderers, visionaries, and itinerants, the self-educated and self-published, a long lineage of cranks and outcasts, mostly penurious, always opinionated, stretching away into the mists of pseudohistory.
—Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
In any case, the TM-B defining feature is the software that sits between the cranks and the motor, shaping the whole cycling experience.
—ArsTechnica, 16 Apr. 2026
The Republican Party embraced neoconservatism; Buchanan and his cohort were the stewards of an ideology for cranks.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
These ideas have thrived through generations of cranks and propagandists and are now omnipresent.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
In 2018, the state legislature passed a law that outlawed the possession and sale of bump stocks, along with trigger cranks and devices that make the gun operate like an automatic weapon.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2026
But as with the dismantling of huge swaths of our research capacity, the original refusal to even consider this mRNA flu vaccine on what are obviously ideological grounds shows future potential for the FDA to affect a hell of a lot more people than just the cranks who agree with them.
—The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
Early locations had a giant clown head popping out of a square box on the roof, based on children’s jack-in-the-box toys, music boxes with cranks that, when turned, cause figures to pop out of their lids.
—Fielding Buck, Oc Register, 16 Feb. 2026
But as with the dismantling of huge swaths of our research capacity, this refusal to even consider this mRNA flu vaccine on what are obviously ideological grounds is going to affect a hell of a lot more people than just the cranks who agree with them.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026
There’s a cast of wanderers, visionaries, and itinerants, the self-educated and self-published, a long lineage of cranks and outcasts, mostly penurious, always opinionated, stretching away into the mists of pseudohistory.
—Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cranks
Noun
-
Those crazy, diverse individuals, that tribe of oddballs and eccentrics, dreamers, and gamblers who make up this business.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
-
On her trail are a Báthory relative who is vegetarian (Thomas Schubert), his psychotherapist (Lars Eidinger), two vampirologists, a police inspector and a gallery of eccentrics.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The plant provides habitat for fish, crabs and plankton, feeds migratory birds and locks away carbon and methane — both heat-trapping greenhouse gases — in coastal sediments.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Their diet includes fish, squid, crabs, krill and other sea life.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Multicoin, especially, has been at the whims of crypto’s booms and busts.—
Ben Weiss,
Fortune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
By design, the responsibility to pay these workers shifted from the employers, who were reluctant to pay Black laborers in the first place, to the whims of the customers.—
Allyson Reedy,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Dry all surfaces completely and replace knobs, drip pans, and coils back on the stove.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
According to registered dietitians, a mix of nuts, especially pistachios, and dried tart cherries is the healthiest late-night snack.—
Lynn Andriani,
Martha Stewart,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Many whole foods are naturally gluten-free, including fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The pervasive popularity of the show and its creator will be the reason the complainers have no voice.—
Rich Heldenfels,
Boston Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
-
If family needs cause drama, set kind boundaries and explain them to any complainers.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Breakaway notions, such as ‘Calexit,’ are fanciful, but the discontent driving them is real.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Advice or even just notions—only check email after noon; never do 10 reps of crunches—solidify into absolutism or vanish.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Many travelers opt to take a four-wheeler down the Sand Highway, a one-way trail into a canyon on the boundary of the dunes, or on the South Boundary Trail, which winds along the eastern side of the main dune area.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The rooms With curvaceous walls, built in fast-growing Indonesian bamboo, split-level villas with a spiral staircase that winds seashell-like between a ground-floor lounge and upstairs living quarters have the grounding feel of being wrapped in a tropical bamboo forest.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cranks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cranks. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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