crane
noun
any large wading bird of the family Gruidae, characterized by long legs, bill, and neck and an elevated hind toe.
crane
1 American
[krayn]
/ kreɪn /
noun
-
cranes
plural
-
any large wading bird of the family Gruidae, characterized by long legs, bill, and neck and an elevated hind toe.
-
(not used scientifically) any of various similar birds of other families, as the great blue heron.
-
Machinery. a device for lifting and moving heavy weights in suspension.
-
any of various similar devices, as a horizontally swinging arm by a fireplace, used for suspending pots over the fire.
-
Movies, Television. a vehicle having a long boom on which a camera can be mounted for taking shots from high angles.
-
Nautical. any of a number of supports for a boat or spare spar on the deck or at the side of a vessel.
-
Astronomy. Crane, the constellation Grus.
verb (used with object)
-
cranes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
craned,
past participle, past
-
craning
present participle
-
to hoist, lower, or move by or as by a crane.
-
to stretch (the neck) as a crane does.
verb (used without object)
-
cranes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
craned,
past participle, past
-
craning
present participle
-
to stretch out one's neck, especially to see better.
-
to hesitate at danger, difficulty, etc.
Crane
2
American
[krayn]
/ kreɪn /
noun
-
(Harold) Hart, 1899–1932, U.S. poet.
-
Stephen, 1871–1900, U.S. novelist, poet, and short-story writer.
crane
1
British
/ kreɪn /
noun
-
any large long-necked long-legged wading bird of the family Gruidae, inhabiting marshes and plains in most parts of the world except South America, New Zealand, and Indonesia: order Gruiformes See also demoiselle whooping crane
-
(not in ornithological use) any similar bird, such as a heron
-
a device for lifting and moving heavy objects, typically consisting of a moving boom, beam, or gantry from which lifting gear is suspended See also gantry
-
films a large trolley carrying a boom, on the end of which is mounted a camera
verb
-
(tr) to lift or move (an object) by or as if by a crane
-
to stretch out (esp the neck), as to see over other people's heads
-
(intr) (of a horse) to pull up short before a jump
Crane
2
British
/ kreɪn /
noun
-
( Harold ) Hart. 1899–1932, US poet; author of The Bridge (1930)
-
Stephen. 1871–1900, US novelist and short-story writer, noted particularly for his novel The Red Badge of Courage (1895)
-
Walter. 1845–1915, British painter, illustrator of children's books, and designer of textiles and wallpaper
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
cranesimple
-
cranessimple
-
have cranedperfect
-
has cranedperfect
-
am craningprogressive
-
are craningprogressive
-
is craningprogressive
-
have been craningperfect progressive
-
has been craningperfect progressive
Past
-
cranedsimple
-
had cranedperfect
-
was craningprogressive
-
were craningprogressive
-
had been craningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crane
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English cran; cognate with German Kran, Greek géranos
Explanation
A crane is an elegant white bird with a very long neck. You're most likely to see cranes wading near shorelines and in marshy areas. There are fifteen species of cranes, and almost all of them are endangered. Cranes are known for their odd mating dances and for the fact that they typically mate for life. When you crane your neck, you stretch it in order to get a better view of something — like a crane might do. The tall machine also known as a crane is clearly named for the long-necked bird as well.
Vocabulary lists containing crane
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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.
See Examples For:
This isn’t what she envisioned when she received a liberal arts associate degree more than a decade ago, but after nearly a decade on the job, she feels at home in her crane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Everest — like lowering a crane into an icefall crevasse by helicopter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
A crane supported the poles as they were sliced off and lifted to safety.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Maan, 61, of Ashford, Kent, was the crane supervisor responsible for overseeing and supervising lifting operations on the site.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
At least, though, it seemed confined to its little porthole, unable to do more than crane its neck and stare him down as Boaz drew himself uneasily to his feet.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
The yarn turns on the ambitions of Ichabod Crane, an awkward local schoolmaster, who pursues Katrina Van Tassel, the beautiful daughter of a prosperous farmer of Dutch descent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Other pieces of the story came from Irving’s life: Ichabod Crane was the name of an officer Irving met during the War of 1812.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The remaining “Friends” stars, and series creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, declined to participate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Leg-spinner Mason Crane could play for England for the first time in eight years after being recalled for the one-day international tri-series in Pakistan.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
He wore suspenders over his white shirt and, even without long sideburns, bore a remarkable resemblance to Ichabod Crane of the Sleepy Hollow legend.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
The Kenyan government has already built a large container port on the mainland a few miles from Lamu Island, its lights and cranes visible from the rooftop of Banana House.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
He most often cites Serbia's infrastructure and improved living standards as proof of his success, once pledging to make the country a "land of cranes".
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
“How many cranes are there in downtown Los Angeles today?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
The cranes, which dominate the east Belfast skyline, will have their engines overhauled and other key components replaced.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Her dad often did work high above the ground, sometimes even trotting across exposed beams in half-built skyscrapers to fix problems left behind by automated cranes.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Shortly after, at a small neighborhood restaurant I raced down a 30 mph road to get to, nearly every patron craned their necks to look.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
A swarm of tourists craned their necks to see the instalment of the cross's upper arm, visible amid the scaffolding and workers who put finishing touches from their harnesses.
From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026
The waste was then craned into skips and taken to landfill, the utility firm added.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2025
When Hagen Smith — the son and spitting image of Sinjin — sailed a serve too far, Sinjin craned his neck back and clenched his jaws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2025
She craned her neck to read the back of my jacket.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
If you’ve ever found yourself driving along Highway 395, chances are good you’ve been craning your head west toward the Range of Light, staring at the formidable granite peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Here in 2026, office workers often suffer from texting thumb after scrolling through endless feeds and tech neck after craning down to look at mobile devices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
On July 14, it shared a painting depicting a young 19th-century couple in a covered wagon, craning over an infant, the plains and mountains extending into the distance behind them.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2025
"He captures Dylan's craning stance and the way he used hair and sunglasses as a mask, the insistent buzz and keen of his speaking and singing voice and the odd, touchy, insularity."
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2024
A bunch of people from the neighboring trailers gathered around, craning their necks to see what George Finkle looked like in person.
From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman
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