crank

[krangk]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR crank ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Machinery. any of several types of arms or levers for imparting rotary or oscillatory motion to a rotating shaft, one end of the crank being fixed to the shaft and the other end receiving reciprocating motion from a hand, connecting rod, etc.

Informal. an ill-tempered, grouchy person.

an unbalanced person who is overzealous in the advocacy of a private cause.

an eccentric or whimsical notion.

a strikingly clever turn of speech or play on words.

Archaic. a bend; turn.

Slang. the nasal decongestant propylhexedrine, used illicitly for its euphoric effects.

Automotive Slang. a crankshaft.

verb (used with object)

to bend into or make in the shape of a crank.

to furnish with a crank.

Machinery. to rotate (a shaft) by means of a crank.

to start (an internal-combustion engine) by turning the crankshaft manually or by means of a small motor.

to start the engine of (a motor vehicle) by turning the crankshaft manually.

verb (used without object)

to turn a crank, as in starting an automobile engine.

Obsolete. to turn and twist; zigzag.

adjective

unstable; shaky; unsteady.

of, relating to, or by an unbalanced or overzealous person: a crank phone call; crank mail.

British Dialect. cranky¹(def 5).

Verb Phrases

crank down, to cause to diminish or terminate: the president's efforts to crank down inflation.

crank in/into, to incorporate as an integral part: Overhead is cranked into the retail cost.

crank out, to make or produce in a mass-production, effortless, or mechanical way: She's able to crank out one best-selling novel after another.

crank up, Informal.

to get started or ready: The theater season is cranking up with four benefit performances.
to stimulate, activate, or produce: to crank up enthusiasm for a new product.
to increase one's efforts, output, etc.: Industry began to crank up after the new tax incentives became law.

Origin of crank

before 1000; Middle English cranke, Old English cranc-, in crancstǣf crank (see staff¹)

Related formscrank·less, adjectivenon·crank·ing, adjectiveun·cranked, adjective

crank

[krangk]

adjective Nautical.

Also cranky. having a tendency to roll easily, as a boat or ship; tender (opposed to stiff).

noun

a crank vessel.

Origin of crank

1690–1700; probably to be identified with crank¹, but sense developement unclear; cf. crank-sided

crank

[krangk]

adjective British Dialect.

lively; high-spirited.

Origin of crank

1350–1400; Middle English cranke, of obscure origin

Related formscrank·ly, adverbcrank·ness, noun

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

Related Words for crank

zealot, curmudgeon, lever, handle, arm, eccentric, crackpot, character, fanatic, monomaniac, grouch, misanthrope, complainer

Examples from the Web for crank

Contemporary Examples of crank

The wonderful reign of Queen Elizabeth has everyone worried about what will happen when her crank of a son takes the throne.
Imagining Prince Charles as King Makes All of Britain Wish They Could Leave Like Scotland
Clive Irving
September 17, 2014
Before the marriage it was already obvious that he was a bit of a crank.
Imagining Prince Charles as King Makes All of Britain Wish They Could Leave Like Scotland
Clive Irving
September 17, 2014
I belong to the “Soccer Hater” demographic – middle-aged Republican crank with long, blonde hair and a great pair of gams.
Up To a Point: Oops, I Enjoyed Soccer
P. J. O’Rourke
July 13, 2014
I belong to the “Soccer Hater” demographic—middle-aged Republican crank with long, blonde hair and a great pair of gams.
DUP-Up To a Point: Oops, I Enjoyed Soccer
P. J. O’Rourke
July 13, 2014
An uncomfortable urinary infection is going to feel way worse than those few minutes you spent trying to crank out your work.
8 Signs You’re Way Too Stressed (and How to Deal)
DailyBurn
March 13, 2014

Historical Examples of crank

In this machine, the barrel was fitted with a crank, and rotated by handle.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
The crank is a person who holds views which to us seem ridiculous.
Mountain Meditations
L. Lind-af-Hageby
This crank is mounted on a crankshaft carried on the metal tube M.
Boys' Book of Model Boats
Raymond Francis Yates
Its center is drilled out and it is soldered to the crank as illustrated in Fig. 54.
Boys' Book of Model Boats
Raymond Francis Yates
Nothing now remains to be made except the crank and the flywheel.
Boys' Book of Model Boats
Raymond Francis Yates

British Dictionary definitions for crank

crank

noun

a device for communicating motion or for converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion or vice versa. It consists of an arm projecting from a shaft, often with a second member attached to it parallel to the shaft

Also called: crank handle, starting handle a handle incorporating a crank, used to start an engine or motor

informal

an eccentric or odd person, esp someone who stubbornly maintains unusual views
US and Canadiana bad-tempered person

verb

(tr) to rotate (a shaft) by means of a crank

(tr) to start (an engine, motor, etc) by means of a crank handle

(tr) to bend, twist, or make into the shape of a crank

(intr) obsolete to twist or wind

Word Origin for crank

Old English cranc; related to Middle Low German krunke wrinkle, Dutch krinkel crinkle

crank

cranky

adjective

(of a sailing vessel) easily keeled over by the wind; tender

Word Origin for crank

C17: of uncertain origin; perhaps related to crank 1

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 crank

Old English *cranc, implied in crancstæf "a weaver's instrument," crencestre "female weaver, spinster," from Proto-Germanic base *krank-, and related to crincan "to bend, yield" (see crinkle, cringe). English retains the literal sense of the ancient root, while German and Dutch krank "sick," formerly "weak, small," is a figurative use.

The sense of "an eccentric person," especially one who is irrationally fixated, is first recorded 1833, said to be from the crank of a barrel organ, which makes it play the same tune over and over; but more likely a back-formation from cranky (q.v.). Meaning "methamphetamine" attested by 1989.

1590s, "to zig-zag," from crank (n.). Meaning "to turn a crank" is first attested 1908, with reference to automobile engines. Related: Cranked; cranking.