crank 1 of 3

chiefly dialect

crank

2 of 3

noun

crank

3 of 3

verb

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of crank
Adjective
Forecasters say the intense heat will crank up Friday with high peaks between 98 degrees to 104 degrees across most of the state’s lower elevations. Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 20 June 2025 The early dose of extreme temperatures is a sign that residents are in for a long, hot summer that will force many households to crank up the air conditioning. Josh Tulkin, Baltimore Sun, 15 June 2025
Noun
This means the percentage of energy transferred from your legs during each pedal stroke to your crank arm. Maggie Slepian, Travel + Leisure, 16 Oct. 2023 Model numbers can be found on the inside of the crank arm near the backside of the arm where the pedals are attached. Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2023
Verb
As the user turns the crank, the grinding plate forces food through the milling disk. Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025 But that changed with Trump's election to a situation where politics is much more about celebrity than credibility and cranks from the margins of political ideas are now lauded front and centre. Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for crank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crank
Adjective
  • The symphony drives to a triumphant, satisfying conclusion.
    Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 11 July 2025
  • Australian hip-hop heavyweights Hilltop Hoods are gearing up for a triumphant return to the road in 2026 with their Never Coming Home national arena tour, supporting their upcoming album Fall From the Light.
    Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 9 July 2025
Adjective
  • From panel stages to comedy sets, the stories told here are layered, instructive and deeply joyful.
    Sughnen Yongo, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
  • Jesse, family man, civic organizer, corporate negotiator, contract hawk, and school advocate has left a role model legacy of joyful courage and positive leadership for the kids.
    Richard J. Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 July 2025
Noun
  • Ra’s decades-long adherence to this personal mythology, along with his air of serene bemusement and his extravagant robes and headdresses, led to his popular image as a colorful eccentric.
    Ekow Eshun July 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
  • Other characters include outcasts, visionaries and eccentrics — all of whom live on the margins as unseen — a former priest, a girl trapped in working her family’s candy stand, a woman who learned preaching from her brother and is a caretaker for her dying housemate.
    Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 18 May 2025
Noun
  • Hansen's voiceover is quickly overtaken by footage of massive waves and lots and lots of crab.
    Ashley Boucher, EW.com, 9 July 2025
  • On the nearby beach, crabs scurry about — fishermen use them as bait to catch snapper and other reef fish.
    Jeanine Barone, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
Noun
  • Only 24% of voters today recognize that their future benefits are subject to the whims of Congress and the president.
    Scott Rasmussen, Boston Herald, 6 July 2025
  • Adapting to the whims of a star is no small task, however.
    Phil Plait, Scientific American, 3 July 2025
Verb
  • While multiple legal challenges wind their way through the federal judiciary, the Supreme Court ruled on June 27 that a nationwide injunction halting implementation of the Executive Order was inappropriate.
    Time, Time, 14 July 2025
  • China is bidding record low prices for new BESS, which is the key to making solar PV and wind a dispatchable source of electricity—at the lowest price for new build systems.
    Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • Local entrepreneur and proud Macedonian Gordana Traycoff will lead the discussion with an evening of storytelling and cultural discovery.
    Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
  • Old Fitzgerald, the once proud brand with a century-long legacy, was tossed into the Bernheim sale like an extra trading card between kids to sweeten the deal, not to headline it.
    Chris Perugini, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • In February, a lively and well-attended protest march took over the streets of downtown McAllen; a news site compared it to a celebration after a high-school-football victory.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 7 July 2025
  • The nightlife scene is surprisingly buzzy, with local favorites such as the Silver Dollar Bar and Saloon and the iconic Million Dollar Cowboy Bar offering live music and a lively crowd.
    Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 5 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crank. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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