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
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
In academic and intellectual circles, defenders of market economics were few and far between and widely viewed as cranks or worse.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 23 Nov. 2025
Perhaps the base of the U is a gear system connecting the cranks at one end.
—New Atlas, 22 Nov. 2025
Far from being uninformed cranks, many of the people embracing Luddism grew up with smartphones and know all too well how enticing (and overwhelming) the technology can be.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
For Southern rock, the Allman Brothers Band’s Live at Fillmore East or Lynyrd Skynyrd’s One More from the Road were must-cranks.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025
In what was once the typesetting room of the Miami Daily News, later called the Miami News, large scrolls of clippings can be viewed by visitors using hand cranks that mimic a newspaper rolling off the press.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
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
Noun
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
In academic and intellectual circles, defenders of market economics were few and far between and widely viewed as cranks or worse.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 23 Nov. 2025
Perhaps the base of the U is a gear system connecting the cranks at one end.
—New Atlas, 22 Nov. 2025
Far from being uninformed cranks, many of the people embracing Luddism grew up with smartphones and know all too well how enticing (and overwhelming) the technology can be.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
For Southern rock, the Allman Brothers Band’s Live at Fillmore East or Lynyrd Skynyrd’s One More from the Road were must-cranks.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025
In what was once the typesetting room of the Miami Daily News, later called the Miami News, large scrolls of clippings can be viewed by visitors using hand cranks that mimic a newspaper rolling off the press.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cranks
Noun
-
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
-
Catherine O’Hara portrayed ridiculous eccentrics with equal parts hilarity and humanity.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sewage impacts could reach the Chesapeake Bay Naujoks stressed how important the Potomac is to the region, saying people depend on it for drinking water, tourism, trade and commercial fishing of species including blue catfish, rockfish, crabs and oysters.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Whale falls, which occur when a whale carcass sinks to the ocean floor, create temporary ecosystems that feed octopuses, sharks, crabs, microorganisms and more.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Airports were named for geographical locations, not to satisfy political whims.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
There are still many in this country who value truth, who believe that history should be preserved and not erased, who understand that constitutional rights should not be swept away to suit the whims of a megalomaniac, and who refuse to wallow in ignorance and hate.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 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
-
Fresh fruit and maple syrup add natural sweetness, while a small amount of nuts or seeds provides crunch and satiety without the sugar overload.—
Kathleen Ferraro,
Verywell Health,
15 Feb. 2026
-
But just as there’s a difference between depicting chaos and depicting chaotically, there’s a difference between presenting theatergoers with a realistic image of mental illness and driving an audience nuts.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
If family needs cause drama, set kind boundaries and explain them to any complainers.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
2 Jan. 2026
-
The faculty experience has been that administrations often side with the complainers.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
These aren’t just vague wellness notions.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
-
In the heyday of ESG investing, trillions poured into vague notions of sustainability with a vision of enormous returns but without a clear plan.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Follow blazes on a one-mile hiking trail that winds through wetland hardwoods and hydric hammock with scenic viewpoints for stopping along the river.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
-
More adventurous hikers can tackle Morne du Vitet, the island’s highest point, or the Sentier de Grand Fond, which winds along dramatic coastal cliffs and natural pools.—
Molly Barstein,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cranks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cranks. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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