Background for crank

crank

/kɹæŋk/

Illustration crank - Image 1

Illustration crank - Image 2

Illustration crank - Image 3

noun

A bent piece of an axle or shaft, or an attached arm perpendicular, or nearly so, to the end of a shaft or wheel, used to impart a rotation to a wheel or other mechanical device; also used to change circular into reciprocating motion, or reciprocating into circular motion.

Examples :

"I grind my coffee by hand with a coffee grinder with a crank handle."

machine device technical part

Illustration crank - Image 1

Illustration crank - Image 2

noun

The act of converting power into motion, by turning a crankshaft.

Examples :

"Yes, a crank was all it needed to start."

machine energy technical action

Illustration crank - Image 1

noun

Any bend, turn, or winding, as of a passage.

Examples :

"The winding crank of the mountain path made the hike challenging. "

part machine technical structure

Illustration crank - Image 1

noun

An ill-tempered or nasty person.

Examples :

"Billy-Bob is a nasty old crank! He chased my cat away."

person character attitude

Illustration crank - Image 1

Illustration crank - Image 2

noun

A twist or turn of the mind; caprice; whim;

Examples :

"Her decision to quit the soccer team seemed like a sudden crank, as she had always loved playing. "

Illustration crank - Image 1

noun

A fit of temper or passion.

Examples :

"After losing the game, the boy had a crank and slammed his door. "

attitude emotion character mind

Illustration crank - Image 1

Illustration crank - Image 2

noun

(dated in US) A person who is considered strange or odd by others. They may behave in unconventional ways.

Examples :

"John is a crank because he talks to himself."

person character attitude society

Illustration crank - Image 1

noun

(1800s) A baseball fan.

Examples :

"The old crank at the baseball game cheered loudly for his favorite team. "

person sport entertainment

Illustration crank - Image 1

noun

An advocate of a pseudoscience movement.

Examples :

"That crank next door thinks he’s created cold fusion in his garage."

theory philosophy mind person character attitude science

Illustration crank - Image 1

noun

A twist or turn in speech; word play consisting in a change of the form or meaning of a word.

Examples :

"The comedian used a clever crank in his joke, changing the meaning of "fly" from an insect to a fast-moving person. "

language word linguistics writing

Illustration crank - Image 1

noun

A sick person; an invalid.

Examples :

"My grandmother is a crank; she has been bedridden with the flu for weeks. "

person medicine disease

Illustration crank - Image 1

noun

body organ sex anatomy

Illustration crank - Image 1

Illustration crank - Image 2

Illustration crank - Image 3

verb

To turn by means of a crank.

Examples :

"Motorists had to crank their engine by hand."

machine technical action

Illustration crank - Image 1

Illustration crank - Image 2

Illustration crank - Image 3

verb

To turn a crank.

Examples :

"He had to crank the handle of the old ice cream maker for a long time to freeze the ice cream. "

machine action technology

Illustration crank - Image 1

Illustration crank - Image 2

verb

(of a crank or similar) To turn.

Examples :

"To start the old bicycle, I had to crank the pedals. "

machine technical action

Illustration crank - Image 1

Illustration crank - Image 2

Illustration crank - Image 3

verb

To cause to spin via other means, as though turned by a crank.

Examples :

"Crank it up!"

machine technology technical energy action

Illustration crank - Image 1

verb

To act in a cranky manner; to behave unreasonably and irritably, especially through complaining.

Examples :

"Quit cranking about your spilt milk!"

attitude character human emotion

Illustration crank - Image 1

verb

To be running at a high level of output or effort.

Examples :

"By one hour into the shift, the boys were really cranking."

energy action work machine business

Illustration crank - Image 1

Illustration crank - Image 2

verb

To run with a winding course; to double; to crook; to wind and turn.

Examples :

"The river used to crank through the valley, making it difficult to build roads. "

Illustration crank - Image 1

Illustration crank - Image 2

adjective

Strange, weird, odd.

Examples :

"Her uncle has some crank ideas about how to grow tomatoes. "

character attitude person

Illustration crank - Image 1

adjective

Examples :

"My little brother was feeling crank today; he couldn't get out of bed for school. "

medicine disease condition

Illustration crank - Image 1

adjective

(of a ship) Liable to capsize because of poorly stowed cargo or insufficient ballast.

Examples :

"The overloaded cargo ship was crank, putting all hands on deck at risk. "

nautical sailing

Illustration crank - Image 1

adjective

Full of spirit; brisk; lively; sprightly; overconfident; opinionated.

Examples :

"Even though he was just starting the project, he had a crank attitude, confidently declaring he'd finish it in a day. "

character attitude person

Illustration crank - Image 1

Illustration crank - Image 2

Illustration crank - Image 3

noun

A highly addictive phenethylamine stimulant drug, similar to cocaine. Its systematic (IUPAC) name is (S)-N-methyl-1-phenylpropan-2-amine.

Examples :

"The dealer offered him crank, but he refused because he knew it was a dangerous drug. "

medicine substance chemistry