cranny
Americannoun
-
crannies
plural
-
a small, narrow opening in a wall, rock, etc.; chink; crevice; fissure.
They searched every nook and cranny for the missing ring.
-
a small out-of-the-way place or obscure corner; nook.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cranny
1400–50; late Middle English crany, perhaps < Middle French crené, past participle of crener to notch, groove; see crenel
Explanation
A cranny is a little crack or narrow opening, Many cats like to settle themselves into any cranny they can find. A rock wall is full of crannies where you can fit your fingers and feet as you climb up, while a tree's crackly bark provides crannies for insects to hide in. It's pretty common to see the word cranny accompanied by nook: "When you vacuum the living room, don't forget about all the little nooks and crannies!" Cranny is a diminutive of the Old French cran, "notch or fissure," from crener, "to split."
Vocabulary lists containing cranny
A Midsummer Night's Dream
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The BFG
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Before We Were Free
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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 living space is heavily shielded with acoustic laminated glass and sound-dampening insulation in every cranny.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
It takes time for higher energy prices to work their way into every nook and cranny of the economy.
From MarketWatch ● May 16, 2026
Surveillance software sprouted in every cranny of the ballpark, first in service of providing more data for teams and front offices to pore over, then as fuel for ever more esoteric betting propositions.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2026
From obsessive city-wide tagging in every impossible nook and cranny and world famous Banksy pieces to bold and colourful community murals, Bristol's street art has since become world renowned.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2025
But they walked back and forth multiple times along the Leavenworth side and the Sacramento side, studying every nook and cranny for a spot where you could hide a book.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
All the little nooks and crannies of our lives enjoy Fourth Amendment protections.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
It’s a good time to find those nooks and crannies.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
A few customers place their unwanted wares in shopping bags, which they hide in the nooks and crannies beside their houses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025
It continues: “The cottage exudes old world charm with wooden walls, built-in bookshelves, a window with diamond mullions, and many nooks and crannies while still offering modern amenities for today’s living.”
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 3, 2025
Still, Venice had lots of nooks and crannies, like an old rabbit warren.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
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.
