crank

noun
UK: /kræŋk/
US: /kræŋk/

  1. A person who is strange and has strong, unreasonable opinions, often religious or political.

    1. My uncle is a bit of a crank, always complaining about the government.
    2. The website is full of comments from cranks spouting conspiracy theories about vaccines.

  2. A part of a machine that is turned to make something move.

    1. Turn the crank to start the old car engine.
    2. The mechanic replaced the worn-out crank on the vintage printing press.

Synonyms

eccentric oddball handle lever
crank verb

  1. To turn a handle or crank to make something move or work.

    1. Crank the handle to raise the water.
    2. She had to crank the car window down because the automatic system broke.

  2. To make something function or happen, often with difficulty.

    1. They need to crank out more product to meet demand.
    2. The factory has been cranking up production to meet holiday shopping demand.
crank adjective

  1. Easily annoyed or bad-tempered.

    1. He gets cranky if he doesn't have his coffee.
    2. The baby was very cranky because she was teething and hadn't slept well.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "crank" in English means: A person who is strange and has strong, unreasonable opinions, often religious or political., A part of a machine that is turned to make something move..

The phonetic transcription of "crank" is /kræŋk/ in British English and /kræŋk/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "crank": eccentric, oddball, handle, lever.

Example usage of "crank": "My uncle is a bit of a crank, always complaining about the government.". More examples on the page.