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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cranks
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
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
Noun
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
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
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
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An El Niño creates a much narrower band of warm water, Leising explained, bringing species such as tropical sea snakes or red crabs up the coast.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Shiny green crabs and tiny pink shrimp.—
Ryan Kellman,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Every deportation should be based on immigration law, not the whims of ICE nor those of the president.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Uniting best practices in public health and offering further support and coordination to the community violence intervention community, an office would serve as a Chicago department with a set strategy that would not change according to political winds or mayoral whims.—
Michael Pfleger,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 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
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While 90% of food allergies involve exposure to the top nine allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, dairy/milk, eggs, sesame, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish), people can be allergic to many other foods.—
Dr. Sonja O'Leary,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
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While the Middle East isn’t as large an export market for California farmers and ranchers as Canada, the European Union or Mexico; the United Arab Emirates ranks in the top 10 as the nuts, strawberries and other products exported there are distributed across the region.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 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
-
Nearly 100 years later, her predecessor, present-day Schiaparelli creative director Daniel Roseberry, has picked up her mantle, combining thrilling design with the machinery of celebrity to change our notions of female beauty and power.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
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Calculus relies on the notions of infinity and infinitely small quantities (called infinitesimals), but Newton and Leibniz defined these concepts in vague geometric terms; used incorrectly, their formulas could lead to nonsensical calculations, like division by zero.—
Leila Sloman,
Quanta Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
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The route winds through 36 tunnels, including the historic Moffat Tunnel, before reaching the ski slopes.—
Sponsored Content,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cranks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cranks. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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