as in lifting
to move from a lower to a higher place or position
craned her head to see the roof
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Recent Examples of craning
This flexible holder attaches easily to your seatback tray table and adjusts to multiple angles, allowing for hands-free viewing without craning your neck.
—
Samantha Leal, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2026
Crowds of bird fans carrying smartphones and cameras are craning daily for a look at its silly walk, while mostly maintaining a respectful distance.
—ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
Necks craning to the back of the hall, a hush fell over the small parochial church of Santa María Trinitá on the African island of São Tomé.
—Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
At large venues like the Paramount, late entries can mean watching from the upper balcony, craning toward the screen.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
This color is eye-catching, turning heads and craning the necks of everyone from the elderly to state police.
—Jesus R. Garcia, Houston Chronicle, 4 Jan. 2026
All of those spacecraft craning their necks to track a single object on command from Earth amount to nothing short of a sort of cosmic infrastructure, built and deployed by humans throughout their local solar system.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 20 Nov. 2025
Hours after word emerged of the federal buildup, several Oaklanders pulled up to the bridge off Embarcadero and Dennison Street leading to Coast Guard Island, craning their necks to see the buildup for themselves.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
Samantha Leal, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2026
Crowds of bird fans carrying smartphones and cameras are craning daily for a look at its silly walk, while mostly maintaining a respectful distance.
—ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
Necks craning to the back of the hall, a hush fell over the small parochial church of Santa María Trinitá on the African island of São Tomé.
—Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
At large venues like the Paramount, late entries can mean watching from the upper balcony, craning toward the screen.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
This color is eye-catching, turning heads and craning the necks of everyone from the elderly to state police.
—Jesus R. Garcia, Houston Chronicle, 4 Jan. 2026
All of those spacecraft craning their necks to track a single object on command from Earth amount to nothing short of a sort of cosmic infrastructure, built and deployed by humans throughout their local solar system.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 20 Nov. 2025
Hours after word emerged of the federal buildup, several Oaklanders pulled up to the bridge off Embarcadero and Dennison Street leading to Coast Guard Island, craning their necks to see the buildup for themselves.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for craning
Verb
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Removing these bargain fares is also lifting the average ticket price.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
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Robbie Ray combined with four relievers on a six-hitter, lifting the Giants to their first home win against the Marlins since August of 2024.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Walker was also experiencing a mental health issue and was shot after raising a knife.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
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Several early tests failed, raising questions about the program’s future.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Exactly two weeks after hoisting the championship trophy under blue and gold confetti in Phoenix, the duo stepped back on the floor as professionals for the first time when WNBA training camp opened Sunday.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2026
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Nicole Fallert here, bringing you the news to know on Friday, from a progressive headed to Washington and why Pittsburghers are hoisting traffic cones.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Klinger warns that adding excess fat, calories, and sugar can rapidly transform coffee into a high-calorie beverage, elevating the risk of weight gain.—
Embry Roberts,
Martha Stewart,
25 Apr. 2026
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In addition to refocusing its strategy, Comcast has changed up its leadership structure, including elevating Mike Cavanagh to co-CEO alongside Roberts.—
Lillian Rizzo,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Craning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/craning. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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