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
[kreyn]
/ 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
[kreyn]
/ 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:
The roof had to be opened using a crane after the stairwell collapsed.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
They located an original spindle and replicated it, including the complex crane cutouts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
When ready, the baskets were lifted out of the water by crane and placed on a barge alongside the Salvor, where researchers sifted through the contents by hand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
He was speaking after workers used a crane to remove the metal gates that had long separated La Linea from Gibraltar.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
I can’t crane my neck enough to see its head.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
In a statement issued by a spokesman, Crane said he was deeply saddened by the accident and that the company is focused on “supporting the families and loved ones of those impacted.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Among ten locations earmarked for funding are the Grand Union Canal, the River Brent catchment area, and the Lower Crane Valley.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Worse, Acme is represented by John Cena’s ferocious defense attorney Buddy Crane, the former wrestler making full use of his cartoonish features: lantern jaw, perma-frown, and a bull neck thick enough for boulder-sized bolo ties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Wes said that Eric was confronted near the mailbox in front of the house on Crane Street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
“When he walked away after sassing Mr. Crane and my daddy, he said it’d take an explosion to make us see.”
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Gantry cranes were washed away, silt and boulders jammed the headworks, and floodwaters entered the power house, knocking the plant offline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
“How many cranes are there in downtown Los Angeles today?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
By contrast, logistics is pretty mundane; the big contractors don’t pine for contracts to build oiler ships, cranes, or commissaries.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
Working under the bridge's blue lights, dozens of Taiwanese army combat engineers assisted by cranes and trucks set up layers of concrete and steel barriers, barbed wire and Hesco walls along the nearly one-kilometre-long bridge.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
The other was the string of paper cranes that had been made by the students at Oakland High School.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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
Talking about the building process, Royds called it a "DIY makeover on steroids" and said 42,000 pieces of steel had to craned into the theatre, with thousands of people coming together to make it happen.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2025
In the next month or so a few large volcanic rocks will also be craned up to the top, to match the geology of the region, which includes a small streak of volcanic rock.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2025
During the final stretch of the Chicago race, they were leaning over barricades, necks craned, looking for their husbands flying by at a pace close to 4 minutes and 53 seconds per mile.
From Seattle Times ● May 12, 2024
Marcy Baker craned her neck and peered around the girl next to her to get a good look at me.
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
As more blacked-out vehicles entered the area, the more excited the crowd grew, with several craning their necks to peek at the stars exiting their vehicles.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Dorr was inspired by his wife, Nell, a renowned photographer, who was tired of riding shotgun and craning her neck out the window to see where the asphalt ended.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 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
“I thought I had a ride,” said John Lithgow, craning his head around, seeming a bit impatient.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2025
While people were still craning their necks to get a good look at him, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George came hurrying down the aisle.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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.
