crane

¹ American  

[kreyn] / kreɪn /

noun

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.

---

verb (used with object)

craned, craning

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)

craned, craning

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.

---

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

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of crane

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English cran; cognate with German Kran, Greek géranos

Example Sentences

Over the weekend, Iranian drones damaged major aluminum smelting operations in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, while hitting port cranes in Oman.

From The Wall Street Journal

But whenever I’m far enough away from the glow of streetlights, I crane my neck up and search for them.

From The Wall Street Journal

“She is?” he asks at full volume, craning his neck for a look.

From Literature

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

Their desolation contrasts with hives of construction activity nearby, where cranes tower over designer redevelopments.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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