crane
1 Americannoun
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any large wading bird of the family Gruidae, characterized by long legs, bill, and neck and an elevated hind toe.
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(not used scientifically) any of various similar birds of other families, as the great blue heron.
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Machinery. a device for lifting and moving heavy weights in suspension.
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any of various similar devices, as a horizontally swinging arm by a fireplace, used for suspending pots over the fire.
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Movies, Television. a vehicle having a long boom on which a camera can be mounted for taking shots from high angles.
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Nautical. any of a number of supports for a boat or spare spar on the deck or at the side of a vessel.
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Astronomy. Crane, the constellation Grus.
verb (used with object)
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to hoist, lower, or move by or as by a crane.
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to stretch (the neck) as a crane does.
verb (used without object)
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to stretch out one's neck, especially to see better.
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to hesitate at danger, difficulty, etc.
noun
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(Harold) Hart, 1899–1932, U.S. poet.
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Stephen, 1871–1900, U.S. novelist, poet, and short-story writer.
noun
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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
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(not in ornithological use) any similar bird, such as a heron
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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
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films a large trolley carrying a boom, on the end of which is mounted a camera
verb
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(tr) to lift or move (an object) by or as if by a crane
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to stretch out (esp the neck), as to see over other people's heads
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(intr) (of a horse) to pull up short before a jump
noun
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( Harold ) Hart. 1899–1932, US poet; author of The Bridge (1930)
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Stephen. 1871–1900, US novelist and short-story writer, noted particularly for his novel The Red Badge of Courage (1895)
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Looking out at the blue and yellow cranes towering over the Black Sea horizon, Viktor Berestenko worries about the relentless Russian bombardment of Odesa, Ukraine's southern port city.
From Barron's
Across the river on a sand bar, a big blue crane let out a loud squawk.
From Literature
As one locomotive screeches into the old El-Raml Station, commuters and visitors crane their necks out of giant windows at the historic neo-Venetian buildings overhead.
From Barron's
As he passed through Willingham, loose unsecured crane equipment moved from its position and was hanging over the edge of a trailer, the court heard.
From BBC
PHOENIX—On a desolate stretch of land dotted with cactuses some 30 minutes north of Phoenix, more than 30 cranes tower over a construction site 2½ times the size of New York City’s Central Park.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
