crankshaft

American  

[krangk-shaft, -shahft] / ˈkræŋkˌʃæft, -ˌʃɑft /

noun

Machinery.

1. a shaft having one or more cranks, usually formed as integral parts.

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crankshaft British  

/ ˈkræŋkˌʃɑːft /

noun

1. a shaft having one or more cranks, esp the main shaft of an internal-combustion engine to which the connecting rods are attached

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Etymology

Origin of crankshaft

First recorded in 1850–55; crank ¹ + shaft

Example Sentences

The Z06, with the ear-gasmic flat-plane crankshaft, would be too loud for the street—my street, at least.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

Andretti claimed a top-10 Indy finish in Foyt’s No. 33 Ford before traveling to Charlotte, where a faulty crankshaft relegated him to 36th place.

From Seattle Times • May 25, 2024

This reduced the oil's lubrication, leading to wear on the engine's crankshaft bearings.

From BBC • Jul. 28, 2023

If you didn’t know a carburetor from a crankshaft, you could never be sure you weren’t getting ripped off.

From Washington Post • May 24, 2022

It was the crankshaft, which is a long metal rod that connects the engine to the propellers.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman