CRANKS (UP) Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

cranks (up)

verb

present tense third-person singular of crank (up)

as in triggers

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 cranks (up)

Verb

Cutting inside opens the diagonal angle and this move immediately triggers the Arsenal players to intersect the line.

— Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
In animals, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) inside the muscle supplies most of the mechanical energy, while an electrical impulse travels along a motor neuron and triggers a chain of events that causes skeletal muscle fibers to contract.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of triggers

Verb

Home asks for adjustments as the temperamental Moon activates your 4th House of Family and Foundations, bringing feelings up around privacy that supports your well‑being.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 16 Sep. 2026
If the vehicle has no power and the window remains fully raised, Tesla warns the glass could shatter when someone activates the release.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of activates

Verb

As the rapid development of artificial intelligence sparks renewed debate about its risks, the United States and China keep racing to build increasingly powerful models.

— Chan Ho-Him, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Unfortunately, a cartel gets involved, and plenty of action sparks from there.

— William Earl, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of sparks

Verb

Sandra Lim, The Curious Thing While there is an undercurrent of a breakup throughout this collection, particularly in the third section, what drives this book is a reorientation of the self in the world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Speakers noted the Republican nominee's oil and gas investments as the energy sector amasses profits while the Iran war drives up fuel costs.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of drives

Verb

Researchers are adapting the magnetron—the same component that powers microwave ovens—to provide the 10 megawatts of power required for ADS.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 19 Feb. 2026
How Wisconsin's solar battery park powers 130,000 homes The Paris Solar farm began producing power in December 2024 and generates 200 megawatts of renewable electricity during the day.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025

Definition of powers

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

cranks out

cranks (up)

crank (up)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cranks (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cranks%20%28up%29. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of cranks (up)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

aggrandize

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes