crankshaft

American  

[krangk-shaft, -shahft] / ˈkræŋkˌʃæft, -ˌʃɑft /

noun

Machinery.

1. a shaft having one or more cranks, usually formed as integral parts.

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crankshaft British  

/ ˈkræŋkˌʃɑːft /

noun

1. a shaft having one or more cranks, esp the main shaft of an internal-combustion engine to which the connecting rods are attached

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Etymology

Origin of crankshaft

First recorded in 1850–55; crank ¹ + shaft

Example Sentences

The big turbo-edition comes with oil-cooled pistons and a nitrided crankshaft.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Then, in January 2016, came the first "thermal incident" - a police car fire caused by the same crankshaft bearing issue that later affected PC Dumphreys' car.

From BBC • Jul. 28, 2023

Engines can fail due to a crankshaft machining problem.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 8, 2022

Then he shifted to a form of Cubism, turning objects like Jell-O molds, a telephone and an automobile engine crankshaft into compressive, nearly abstract designs in black, white and velvety shades of gray.

From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2016

I didn’t even know what a crankshaft was.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman