crane

[ kreyn ]

/ kreɪn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR crane ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Grus.

verb (used with object), craned, cran·ing.

to hoist, lower, or move by or as by a crane.

to stretch (the neck) as a crane does.

verb (used without object), craned, cran·ing.

to stretch out one's neck, especially to see better.

to hesitate at danger, difficulty, etc.

Nearby words

cranborne money, cranbrook, crance iron, cranch, crandall, crane, crane fly, crane, hart, crane, stephen, cranesbill, cranford

Origin of crane

before 1000; Middle English; Old English cran; cognate with German Kran, Greek géranos

Definition for crane (2 of 2)

Crane

[ kreyn ]

/ kreɪn /

noun

(Harold) Hart,1899–1932, U.S. poet.

Stephen,1871–1900, U.S. novelist, poet, and short-story writer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crane

But Mrs. Crane insists that she has pledged her heart to one dude and one dude only.
Naked Ben Franklin Christens the Campy Return of ‘Sleepy Hollow’|Amy Zimmerman|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a place, it existed in my imagination long before I ever went there thanks to [Walt] Whitman and [Hart] Crane.
Dan Stevens Blows Up ‘Downton’: From Chubby-Cheeked Aristo to Lean, Mean American Psycho|Tim Teeman|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We rarely get smoking gun evidence in my business… but what we found was just that,” said Crane.
Syrian Defector: Assad Poised to Torture and Murder 150,000 More|Josh Rogin|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I made it physical, and the actors were really hanging from a crane 100 feet above the ground.
Michel Gondry on ‘Mood Indigo,’ Kanye West, and the 10th Anniversary of ‘Eternal Sunshine’|Marlow Stern|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The research Crane was referring to has linked older fathers to schizophrenia and autism in children.
High Manxiety: Thirtysomething Men Are The New Neurotic Singles|Hannah Seligson|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Raud had another exceptionally large ship, the longest in Norway, and till the "Crane" was built the swiftest also.
Famous Sea Fights|John Richard Hale
At that time Crane was but twenty-four, and almost an unknown man.
A Collection of Stories, Reviews and Essays|Willa Cather
A crane came and built in the topmost branches of the tree, and for many years they watched the birds rear their young.
Old-World Japan|Frank Rinder
"A practical thought, as well as a kind one," Crane responded.
Skylark Three|Edward Elmer Smith
And this dance, as Dicaearchus writes, is called among the Delians, the Crane.
The Boys' and Girls' Plutarch|Plutarch

British Dictionary definitions for crane (1 of 2)

crane

/ (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 GruiformesSee also demoiselle (def. 1), 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 suspendedSee 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

Word Origin for crane

Old English cran; related to Middle High German krane, Latin grūs, Greek géranos

British Dictionary definitions for crane (2 of 2)

Crane

/ (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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for crane (1 of 2)

crane

Old English cran "large wading bird," common Germanic (cf. Old Saxon krano, Old High German krano, German Kranich, and, with unexplained change of consonant, Old Norse trani), from PIE *gere- (cf. Greek geranos, Latin grus, Welsh garan, Lithuanian garnys "heron, stork"), perhaps echoic of its cry. Metaphoric use for "machine with a long arm" is first attested late 13c. (a sense also in equivalent words in German and Greek).

Word Origin and History for crane (1 of 2)

crane

"to stretch (the neck)," 1799, from crane (n.). Related: Craned; craning.

crane

noun

verb (used with object), craned, cran·ing.

verb (used without object), craned, cran·ing.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of crane

Definition for crane (2 of 2)

Crane

noun

Examples from the Web for crane

British Dictionary definitions for crane (1 of 2)

crane

noun

verb

Word Origin for crane

British Dictionary definitions for crane (2 of 2)

Crane

noun

Word Origin and History for crane (1 of 2)

crane

Word Origin and History for crane (1 of 2)

crane