cranking (up)

verb

present participle of crank (up)
as in triggering
to cause to function crank up the CD player so we can dance

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cranking (up)
  1. triggering
  2. activating
  3. sparking
  4. driving
  5. setting off
  6. turning on
  7. touching off
Verb
  • And using a large portion of cash savings or pulling money from a retirement account to eliminate that mortgage could create other problems, including reducing liquidity or potentially triggering a sizable tax bill.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Extra chaos Then Alex Albon’s Williams suffered a gearbox failure on lap 43, triggering a virtual safety car.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of triggering
Verb
  • Hawaii officials had told residents to put together emergency kits, and the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Given Serra’s representation of Shift, the work is both an object in time and a device for activating time as a correlative of space.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of activating
Verb
  • Hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers, sparking fires and causing food to spoil.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Belgal was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during an attempted arrest Thursday, sparking backlash from Mamdani’s progressive base.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of sparking
Verb
  • Customers, especially younger generations who on average drink substantially less, are driving the demand.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026
  • And on Sunday — despite driving with an impressive desperation (that included a heated Stage 2 exchange with his crew chief over the radio) — a few mistakes followed him.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of driving
Verb
  • There are the now-traditional scenes in which Carrie learns to consciously control her telekinetic superpowers, previously manifested by accidentally setting off car alarms, opening mailboxes and causing a rain of rocks on her parents’ roof.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht, who was 12-for-29 passing for 129 yards and an interception, tossed a final deep ball out of the back of the end zone as time expired, setting off a celebration by Wisconsin defenders.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of setting off
Verb
  • Brill spent the first stretch of the pandemic in Hell’s Kitchen, getting over both COVID and a breakup, occasionally turning on Fauci’s briefings.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Virginia, your story uses dark humor to manipulate readers into sympathizing with Winifred before turning on them.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of turning on
Verb
  • The university prepared to wash its hands of this important part of its legacy, touching off a furious backlash.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
  • With two minutes left in the period, Parayko ran Yurov into the boards from behind, touching off a fight between the Blues’ defenseman and Trenin.
    — Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Definition of touching off
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

cranking out
cranking (up)
crankish
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cranking (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cranking%20%28up%29. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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