What does cranking mean?
Cranking is the present participle of the verb 'to crank,' meaning to turn a crank — a bent axle or handle used to convert circular motion into useful work. In its most literal sense, cranking describes starting an engine by hand or operating a device such as a well winch, a jack, or an old telephone. The word also carries strong figurative uses: factories and writers are said to be 'cranking out' products or copy when producing them rapidly and continuously, while 'cranking up' something means increasing its intensity, volume, or speed. The term connotes effortful, repetitive, mechanical labor, and it retains a slightly old-fashioned flavor thanks to the decline of hand-cranked machinery. It remains everyday vocabulary in automotive, industrial, and casual American and British usage alike.
verb (present participle of crank)The act of turning a crank, or of starting or operating something by turning one; figuratively, producing or generating something in steady quantity.
- Turning a hand crank to start an engine or operate machinery.
- Figuratively producing or supplying something in large, steady amounts (often 'crank out').
- Increasing intensity, volume, or speed ('crank up') — expressed via 'cranking up'.
"He was cranking the engine on that freezing morning when the battery finally gave out."
"She was cranking the well's handle to draw water for the cattle."
"The factory has been cranking out thousands of units a week to meet holiday demand."
Before electric starters, every car journey literally began with cranking — and a mis-timed crank could break your arm.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cranking
The verb 'crank' derives from the noun 'crank,' meaning a bent handle or lever that converts rotation into motion, which entered English from Middle Dutch or Old French 'cranque' in the late Middle English period. By extension it came to mean starting an engine by turning a handle, and later to produce things steadily ('crank out') or increase intensity ('crank up'). Related forms include 'crankshaft' and the adjective 'cranky,' which developed separately from the sense of an eccentric twist or bend.
Related word forms
How cranking is actually used
Mostly informal-to-neutral register; very common in mechanical contexts and in figurative business speech ('cranking out content', 'cranking up the volume').
Easily confused with cranking
'Cranky' means irritable or eccentric (adjective), while 'cranking' is the action of turning a crank or producing something steadily.