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.
to hoist, lower, or move by or as by a crane.
to stretch (the neck) as a crane does.
to stretch out one's neck, especially to see better.
to hesitate at danger, difficulty, etc.
(Harold) Hart, 1899–1932, U.S. poet.
Stephen, 1871–1900, U.S. novelist, poet, and short-story writer.
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
(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
( 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
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English cran; cognate with German Kran, Greek géranos
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"The fire service had to come and get my grandmother down with a crane," Estevez told AFP in the tiny two-roomed apartment that she, her husband and children have moved into on the first floor.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
The women had worked at one of the factories in town, one as a welder, another as a crane operator, and lived in the apartments constructed for its workers since the 1980s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Wages for crane operations supervisors, engineering project designers and metallurgical engineering jobs have increased nearly 8%, Payscale data show.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
Once they’ve reached their capacity of about 20,000 pounds, a boat hauls everything to the harbor and a crane scoops it out in nets.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
He could crane his neck and peer over Katherine’s shoulder.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
In 2024, Microsoft signed a 20-year power deal with Constellation Energy that will restart the undamaged reactor at Three Mile Island, now renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
King's lead for the project Dr Eleanor Crane said its use of Willow would "light a torch" for research to answer questions about the most important natural processes.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Crane said in the UK, Europe, the US, China, and elsewhere, there have been "huge developments" in this direction.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Certain established giants—Stephen Crane and Theodore Dreiser among them—earn Fiedler’s disparagement, usually for overemphasizing realism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
There were many portraits that had to be taken from Gresham College to Crane Court, and this was overseen by the obsessive stickler for detail Sir Isaac Newton.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
He and his team are already preparing breeding programmes for the critically endangered African white-backed vultures and endangered African grey crowned cranes.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Parts of the eastern side of the building were still exposed when AFP visited, with cranes at the top.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
The company has also proposed the use of AI-assisted remote-control cranes and driverless vehicles, it added.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Visitors to the nation’s capital are being met with cranes hanging over the White House and construction at the site of the demolished East Wing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
A flock of cranes flew by overhead, and he called on them to avenge him.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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
As the team crept toward her — carrying large wooden shields and a giant net — the animal’s head weaved, craned and rocked back and forth in frenzied rhythms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2024
Standing beside Muul along a sidewalk in the Gatewood neighborhood, I craned my neck to look for the merlin at the top of a tall tree but all I saw were branches.
From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024
Beejee dropped to his knees and craned his head under the bed.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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
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
You should position yourself so that you’re not craning your neck upward or to the side.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2023
Slowly, incredulously, she raised her head; and then she was scrambling out of her chair, craning to see.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
