Illustration of crane
- crane 1
1
: any of a family (Gruidae of the order Gruiformes) of tall wading birds superficially resembling the herons but structurally more nearly related to the rails
2
: any of several herons
3
: an often horizontal projection swinging about a vertical axis: such as
a
: a machine for raising, shifting, and lowering heavy weights by means of a projecting swinging arm or with the hoisting apparatus supported on an overhead track
b
: an iron arm in a fireplace for supporting kettles
c
: a boom for holding a movie or television camera
craned; craning
1
: to raise or lift by or as if by a crane
2
: to stretch toward an object of attention
craning her neck to get a better view
1
: to stretch one's neck toward an object of attention
I craned out of the window of my compartment—
Webb Waldron
Webb Waldron2
: hesitate
Examples of crane in a Sentence
Verb
We craned our necks toward the stage.
craned her head to see the roof
Recent Examples on the Web
Carl David Goette-Luciak, Miami Herald, 29 July 2025
Read more How a bulldozer, crane, and excavator rental company is using AI to save 3,000 hours per week.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 28 July 2025
Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Greta cranes her neck to see how many other phones are in there, how many other patrons there may be in the Found Object Society tonight.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for crane
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Noun
The photographs show a tug pushing a large barge with a crane mounted on top of it.
—Carl David Goette-Luciak, Miami Herald, 29 July 2025
Read more How a bulldozer, crane, and excavator rental company is using AI to save 3,000 hours per week.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 28 July 2025
Verb
As Moroney finished her set, the fans already seated on blankets or craning their necks to see the stage were also the ones braving the humidity—marking the moment with the last sip of their first tall boy and the first beads of sweat breaking through the day’s heat.
—Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Greta cranes her neck to see how many other phones are in there, how many other patrons there may be in the Found Object Society tonight.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for crane
Cite this Entry
“Crane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crane. Accessed 9 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crane
1 of 2 noun1
: any of a family of tall wading birds related to the rails
2
: any of several herons
3
a
: a machine with a swinging arm for lifting and carrying heavy weights
b
: a mechanical arm that swings freely from a center and is used to support or carry a weight
crane
2 of 2 verb
craned; craning
1
: to raise or lift by or as if by a crane
2
: to stretch out one's neck to see better
Biographical Definition
Crane
2 of 3biographical name (2)
Stephen 1871–1900 American writer
Crane
3 of 3biographical name (3)
Walter 1845–1915 English artist
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