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Definitions for Crank

[1] Machinery . any of several types of arms or levers for imparting rotary or oscillatory motion to a rotating shaft, one end of the crank being fixed to the shaft and the other end receiving reciprocating motion from a hand, connecting rod, etc.
[2] Informal . an ill-tempered, grouchy person.
[3] an unbalanced person who is overzealous in the advocacy of a private cause.
[4] an eccentric or whimsical notion.
[5] a strikingly clever turn of speech or play on words.
[6] Archaic . a bend; turn.
[7] Slang . the nasal decongestant propylhexedrine, used illicitly for its euphoric effects.
[8] Automotive Slang . a crankshaft.
[9] to bend into or make in the shape of a crank.
[10] to furnish with a crank.
[11] Machinery . to rotate (a shaft) by means of a crank.
[12] to start (an internal-combustion engine) by turning the crankshaft manually or by means of a small motor.
[13] to start the engine of (a motor vehicle) by turning the crankshaft manually.
[14] to turn a crank, as in starting an automobile engine.
[15] Obsolete . to turn and twist; zigzag.
[16] unstable; shaky; unsteady.
[17] of, relating to, or by an unbalanced or overzealous person: a crank phone call; crank mail.
[18] British Dialect . cranky1(def 5) .
[19] crank down , to cause to diminish or terminate: the president's efforts to crank down inflation.
[20] crank in /into , to incorporate as an integral part: Overhead is cranked into the retail cost.
[21] crank out , to make or produce in a mass-production, effortless, or mechanical way: She's able to crank out one best-selling novel after another.
[22] crank up , Informal . to get started or ready: The theater season is cranking up with four benefit performances. to stimulate, activate, or produce: to crank up enthusiasm for a new product. to increase one's efforts, output, etc.: Industry began to crank up after the new tax incentives became law.
[23] Also cranky. having a tendency to roll easily, as a boat or ship; tender (opposed to stiff).
[24] a crank vessel.
[25] lively; high-spirited.
[26] a device for communicating motion or for converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion or vice versa. It consists of an arm projecting from a shaft, often with a second member attached to it parallel to the shaft
[27] Also called: crank handle , starting handle a handle incorporating a crank, used to start an engine or motor
[28] informal an eccentric or odd person, esp someone who stubbornly maintains unusual views US and Canadian a bad-tempered person
[29] (tr) to rotate (a shaft) by means of a crank
[30] (tr) to start (an engine, motor, etc) by means of a crank handle
[31] (tr) to bend, twist, or make into the shape of a crank
[32] (intr) obsolete to twist or wind
[33] (of a sailing vessel) easily keeled over by the wind; tender

Words related to Crank

zealot, curmudgeon, lever, handle, arm, eccentric, crackpot, character, fanatic, monomaniac, grouch, misanthrope, complainer

Words nearby Crank

craniosynostosis, craniotabes, craniotomy, craniotympanic, cranium, crank, crank in, crank letter, crank out, crank up, crank-sided

Origin of Crank

31350–1400; Middle English cranke, of obscure origin

Other words from Crank

crank·less , adjective
non·crank·ing , adjective
un·cranked , adjective
crank·ly , adverb
crank·ness , noun

Word origin for Crank

C17: of uncertain origin; perhaps related to crank 1

Synonyms for Crank

arm, handle, lever, turning device