Collins English-English Dictionary

crane [kreɪn]

1. 1. n any large long-necked long-legged wading bird of the family Gruidae, inhabiting marshes and plains in most parts of the world except South America, New Zealand, and Indonesia: order Gruiformes - See also demoiselle whooping crane

2. 2. n [not in ornithological use] any similar bird, such as a heron

3. 3. n a device for lifting and moving heavy objects, typically consisting of a moving boom, beam, or gantry from which lifting gear is suspended - See also gantry

4. 4. n [films] a large trolley carrying a boom, on the end of which is mounted a camera

5. 5. vt. [tr] to lift or move (an object) by or as if by a crane

6. 6. vt. to stretch out (esp the neck), as to see over other people's heads

7. 7. vi. [intr] (of a horse) to pull up short before a jump

8. 8. vi. [Etymology] Old English cran; related to Middle High German krane, Latin grus, Greek géranos