crank
crank Lexical Profile
crank Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A part of an axle or shaft bent out at right angles, used for converting reciprocal motion into circular motion or vice versa.
"He vigorously turned the crank to draw the heavy bucket of water up from the bottom of the well."
An eccentric person, especially one who is overly obsessed by a particular subject or theory, or an ill-tempered individual.
"The local newspaper receives dozens of letters every week from cranks complaining about the town's minor traffic ordinances."
American An illicit stimulant drug, specifically methamphetamine in powder form.
"The police task force uncovered a clandestine laboratory manufacturing crank in the basement of the abandoned warehouse."
• verb
To turn a handle or lever in order to start or operate a machine or engine.
"Before the invention of the electric starter, drivers had to physically crank their car engines to get them running."
To increase the volume, speed, or intensity of something (typically used with 'up').
"As the final act took the stage, the sound engineer decided to crank the bass so the audience could feel the rhythm."
Word Nuance & Usage
While primarily a mechanical term, 'crank' is widely used in informal registers to describe a grumpy or eccentric person, and it also functions as street slang for methamphetamine.
• Rhymes for crank
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'cranke' (a handle or bend), derived from Old English 'cranc', meaning something bent or crooked. The noun was extended in the 19th century to denote an eccentric person, likely referencing someone with a 'bent' or irregular way of thinking.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.