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.

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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.

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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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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

"He had not taken... an elementary precaution of strapping the crane boom down separately."

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

"It was his failure to adequately secure the boom of his crane which amounted to carelessness," Carter said.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

It is assembled by 10 team members over five days with the use of a 70-ton crane.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

It’s not too late to save the whooping crane, the red-cockaded woodpecker, the piping plover or any of the other 86 birds on the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

He’s so tall, too, that she has to crane her neck to make a safe turn because her visibility is impaired.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Related Words

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