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• crane
  crane

  noun

  any large wading bird of the family Gruidae, characterized by long legs, bill, and neck and an elevated hind toe.
• Crane
  Crane

  noun

  (Harold) Hart, 1899–1932, U.S. poet.

crane

¹ American  

[kreyn] / kreɪn /

noun

• cranes
  plural

1. any large wading bird of the family Gruidae, characterized by long legs, bill, and neck and an elevated hind toe.

2. (not used scientifically) any of various similar birds of other families, as the great blue heron.

3. Machinery. a device for lifting and moving heavy weights in suspension.

4. any of various similar devices, as a horizontally swinging arm by a fireplace, used for suspending pots over the fire.

5. Movies, Television. a vehicle having a long boom on which a camera can be mounted for taking shots from high angles.

6. Nautical. any of a number of supports for a boat or spare spar on the deck or at the side of a vessel.

7. Astronomy. Crane, the constellation Grus.

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verb (used with object)

• cranes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• craned,
  past participle,  past
• craning
  present participle

1. to hoist, lower, or move by or as by a crane.

2. to stretch (the neck) as a crane does.

verb (used without object)

• cranes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• craned,
  past participle,  past
• craning
  present participle

1. to stretch out one's neck, especially to see better.

2. to hesitate at danger, difficulty, etc.

Crane ² American  

[kreyn] / kreɪn /

noun

1. (Harold) Hart, 1899–1932, U.S. poet.

2. Stephen, 1871–1900, U.S. novelist, poet, and short-story writer.

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crane ¹ British  

/ kreɪn /

noun

1. 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

2. (not in ornithological use) any similar bird, such as a heron

3. 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

4. films a large trolley carrying a boom, on the end of which is mounted a camera

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verb

1. (tr) to lift or move (an object) by or as if by a crane

2. to stretch out (esp the neck), as to see over other people's heads

3. (intr) (of a horse) to pull up short before a jump

Crane ² British  

/ kreɪn /

noun

1. ( Harold ) Hart. 1899–1932, US poet; author of The Bridge (1930)

2. Stephen. 1871–1900, US novelist and short-story writer, noted particularly for his novel The Red Badge of Courage (1895)

3. Walter. 1845–1915, British painter, illustrator of children's books, and designer of textiles and wallpaper

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cranes
  plural

Participles

• craning
  present
• craned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• crane
  simple
• cranes
  simple
• have craned
  perfect
• has craned
  perfect
• am craning
  progressive
• are craning
  progressive
• is craning
  progressive
• have been craning
  perfect progressive
• has been craning
  perfect progressive

Past

• craned
  simple
• had craned
  perfect
• was craning
  progressive
• were craning
  progressive
• had been craning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will crane
  simple
• will have craned
  perfect
• will be craning
  progressive
• will have been craning
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crane Crane cranes craned craning

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

Images show the crane on its side and leaning on to part of a container vessel.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

There is also a separate structure on the property that Heigl used as her personal art studio, having transported it in using a crane, the description reveals.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

I crane my neck to see what it is.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

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

Rates have since fallen, but money-market funds, which now yield 3.49% on average, according to Crane Data, have retained their appeal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 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

“Mr. Crane wants you to come in at ten in the morning. Ten sharp, now, mind you, because he’ll be there and those guys won’t gang up on you again.”

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

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

An almost unbroken line of slipways, cranes and workshops employing thousands of workers once stretched for miles along the south bank of the lower Clyde.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 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

Finally, with the help of several cranes provided by the city government, the statue known locally as "Iron Felix" soon lay in pieces on the ground, as the crowd chanted "Down with the KGB!"

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

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

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

She craned her neck to see all the topiary mazes of moonflower hedges and starfruit trees.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

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

The man appeared alert, yelling and craning his head as he was hoisted into the vehicle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2025

My head pain was quelled thanks to the drugs, but now my neck and back began to flare up, the previous day’s slouching and craning setting in.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2024

“There should be a car waiting for us,” Auntie North said, craning her neck.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Related Words

• cover
• develop
• draw
• expand
• fill
• go
• grow
• lengthen
• open
• pull
• reach
• run
• span
• spread
• strain
• swell
• unfold
• widen