crank
A person who seems very strange because they strongly believe things that most people think are crazy or not true.
A person considered strange, unreasonable, or obsessive because of very unusual, extreme, or fixed ideas, especially about politics, health, or other public issues.
To turn a handle or bar again and again to make a machine work or start.
To turn a handle, lever, or similar part in order to operate or start a machine, especially older engines or simple devices.
A metal bar or handle that you hold and turn to make a machine work.
A handle or arm attached to a shaft or axle that you turn by hand to operate a machine or to change circular motion into another kind of motion.
To make many things very fast, often without much care or new ideas.
To produce something, especially many similar things, quickly and somewhat mechanically, often with little care or creativity.
To make something, like music or activity, much stronger or louder, often very suddenly.
To make something such as sound, activity, or effort start forcefully or become much stronger, especially by turning a control or by pushing people to do more.
A slang word for the illegal drug methamphetamine.
Slang for methamphetamine, an illegal, highly addictive stimulant drug.
On a bicycle, the long metal piece that joins the pedal to the center part that turns the chain.
On a bicycle, the metal arm that connects the pedal to the bottom-bracket axle and turns the chainring when you pedal.
- Base: crank
- Plural: cranks
- Base: crank
- 3rd Person Singular: cranks
- Present Participle: cranking
- Past: cranked
crank call
1annoying or prank phone call
A phone call made as a joke or to bother someone, where the caller says strange or false things and usually hides who they are.
- The radio station gets a lot of crank calls late at night.
- She kept receiving crank calls from someone who wouldn’t say their name.
- Police said the bomb threat was just a crank call.
crank out
1produce a lot very fast
To make many things very quickly, often in a mechanical way and without much care or creativity.
- The factory cranks out thousands of plastic toys every day.
- She cranks out blog posts to keep the website active.
- They’re under pressure to crank out new features before the holiday season.
crank up
1increase or start something strongly
To make something, like music, heat, or activity, much stronger or louder, or to start it with a lot of energy.
- They cranked up the music as soon as the party started.
- The government is cranking up efforts to fight inflation.
- As the game went on, the crowd really cranked up the noise.