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
Judy Koutsky, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
According to a statement issued by the Miguel Hidalgo mayor’s office, the incident may have been caused by the installation of additional cranes by the organizers, which had not been included in the program submitted to authorities for the pre-festival inspection.
—Natalia Cano, Billboard, 6 Apr. 2025
Mara Mills, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
Before half-time last night, Watkins craned his neck and headed into the far corner, putting Villa 2-1 up and rediscovering the goalscoring edge from last season.
—Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crane
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
These blinds are very close to the crane roosting grounds and offer photographers some of the best visual access to the cranes.
—Judy Koutsky, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
According to a statement issued by the Miguel Hidalgo mayor’s office, the incident may have been caused by the installation of additional cranes by the organizers, which had not been included in the program submitted to authorities for the pre-festival inspection.
—Natalia Cano, Billboard, 6 Apr. 2025
Verb
The vastness of framed white space and the comparatively minuscule labels arrest the viewer, requiring them to crane their neck, to move back and forth or close to the frame in order to read from part to part to whole while also weighing the blanks.
—Mara Mills, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
Before half-time last night, Watkins craned his neck and headed into the far corner, putting Villa 2-1 up and rediscovering the goalscoring edge from last season.
—Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 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 21 Apr. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share