What does crank mean?
A crank is fundamentally a simple machine: an arm bent at right angles to an axle that lets a person convert circular motion into pushing or pulling force, as when turning the handle of a well winch or starting an old car engine. From this mechanical sense grew a figurative one: because turning a crank involves repetitive, obsessive motion, English speakers came to call a person with odd or fanatically held ideas a 'crank' — an eccentric, someone obsessed with a pet theory or hobbyhorse. The verb 'to crank' covers both turning the handle and, idiomatically, producing things rapidly ('crank out reports') or increasing intensity ('crank up the music'). Informal but rarely offensive, the word carries a mildly comic connotation when applied to people, suggesting harmless stubbornness rather than menace. Its relatives — cranky, crankshaft, crankcase — all trace back to the same mechanical root.
An arm or handle set at an angle to an axle, used to convert circular motion into reciprocating motion or vice versa.
"Turn the crank slowly to raise the bucket from the well."
In engineering contexts, 'crank' often refers specifically to the offset portion of a crankshaft.
An eccentric person, especially one holding unusual opinions or obsessing over a particular idea.
"He's a bit of a crank about organic gardening."
Informal; usually mildly humorous rather than insulting.
To turn a crank, especially to start an engine or machine.
"She cranked the lawnmower twice before it started."
To produce something quickly and mechanically, or to increase something (as in 'crank up').
"The agency cranked out dozens of press releases last week."
'Crank up' commonly means to increase volume, intensity, or effort.
Standard regular plural; applies to both the mechanical device and the eccentric-person sense.
"The workshop was full of old cranks and pulleys."
The word 'crank' has been describing both stubborn engines and stubborn people since the early nineteenth century — and it's no accident that we still say someone is 'cranking out' work.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crank
The word 'crank' entered Middle English around the fourteenth century from Old English 'cranck', likely of Germanic origin, originally meaning something bent or twisted. Its mechanical sense — the bent handle on an axle — emerged in the sixteenth century, and the figurative sense of an eccentric person developed in the early nineteenth century, first in British English. Related forms include 'cranky' (irritable), 'crankshaft', and 'crankcase'; the Germanic root also underlies words like Dutch 'krank' (sick or crazy).
Related word forms
How crank is actually used
'Crank' as a person-carrying noun is informal and often affectionate rather than harshly insulting. In American slang of the late twentieth century, 'crank' also referred to low-grade methamphetamine, though this sense is dated and regional. The phrase 'crank up' is common in casual speech.
Easily confused with crank
Cranky is an adjective meaning irritable, whereas a crank is either a mechanical handle or an eccentric person.
A crankshaft is the rotating shaft in an engine driven by cranks, while a crank refers to the handle or lever itself.