cranny
Americannoun
plural
crannies-
a small, narrow opening in a wall, rock, etc.; chink; crevice; fissure.
They searched every nook and cranny for the missing ring.
-
a small out-of-the-way place or obscure corner; nook.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cranny
1400–50; late Middle English crany, perhaps < Middle French crené, past participle of crener to notch, groove; see crenel
Explanation
A cranny is a little crack or narrow opening, Many cats like to settle themselves into any cranny they can find. A rock wall is full of crannies where you can fit your fingers and feet as you climb up, while a tree's crackly bark provides crannies for insects to hide in. It's pretty common to see the word cranny accompanied by nook: "When you vacuum the living room, don't forget about all the little nooks and crannies!" Cranny is a diminutive of the Old French cran, "notch or fissure," from crener, "to split."
Vocabulary lists containing cranny
A Midsummer Night's Dream
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The BFG
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Before We Were Free
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The megaphone, which will be available at Nook’s Cranny, can be used to locate fellow villagers by calling out their names.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025
Maren Comendant of Maple Leaf, the owner of Capitol Hill’s newest bookstore, Nook & Cranny, has “done a little bit of everything.“
From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2023
Nook & Cranny has hosted several book launches over the past few months, and Comendant is looking forward to hosting more author events in the near future.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2023
Fortunately, there’s a lot of good reasons to play New Horizons right now, thanks to the jam-packed new update, so stopping by Nook’s Cranny every once in a while shouldn’t be too much trouble.
From The Verge • Nov. 5, 2021
They were these: We're the soft putty crew, Dripping the oozy glue, Squeezing our resins through Cranny and crack.
From Nuova or The New Bee by Kellogg, Vernon L. (Vernon Lyman)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
