: any of a family (Gruidae of the order Gruiformes) of tall wading birds superficially resembling the herons but structurally more nearly related to the rails
2
: any of several herons
3
: an often horizontal projection swinging about a vertical axis: such as
a
: a machine for raising, shifting, and lowering heavy weights by means of a projecting swinging arm or with the hoisting apparatus supported on an overhead track
b
: an iron arm in a fireplace for supporting kettles
Verb
We craned our necks toward the stage. craned her head to see the roof
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Noun
The twin ports, situated on more than 10,000 acres on San Pedro Bay, rely on heavy-duty cranes, tugboats and trucks to move cargo.—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2025 The crane on the aft deck, for instance, is capable of hoisting 7.5 tons, significantly more than the other yachts in Sanlorenzo’s EXP series.—Katia Damborsky, Robb Report, 12 May 2025
Verb
Even more titillating: Rose and guitarist Slash, the Johnson and Young of American rock, were in attendance at the Rose Bowl — their walk through the crowd inciting thousands to gasp and crane their necks for a look at the duo.—Katherine Turman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2025 Two separate entry lines snaked down Broadway, as commuters craned their necks and snapped iPhone photos through the windows.—Freya Drohan, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for crane
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English cran, from Old English; akin to Old High German krano crane, Greek geranos, Latin grus
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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