Meaning & use
crane operator
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A person whose job is to control a crane, especially on a building site or in a port.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a crane operator' or 'two crane operators'. The plural adds -s.
Patterns
- a crane operator
- work as a crane operator
- the crane operator of something
My uncle is a crane operator and works on tall buildings.
The crane operator lifted the steel beams carefully into place.
Crane operators need special training and a license in many countries.
Word forms
| plural | crane operators |
|---|
Common combinations
- experienced crane operator
- They hired an experienced crane operator for the bridge project.
- tower crane operator
- A tower crane operator sits high above the ground in a small cabin.
- work as a crane operator
- She works as a crane operator at the shipping yard.
- crane operator training
- The company offers crane operator training for new employees.
Synonyms and how they differ
- crane driver
- Less common in American English; it means the same person but is more often used in British English.
- hoist operator
- A more general term for someone who controls a hoist or lifting machine, not always a crane.
Word family
Commonly confused: crane operator or crane?
crane operator vs crane
A crane is the machine; a crane operator is the person who controls it. Don't say 'He is a crane' when you mean his job.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
We use 'work as + a/an + job' to say someone's job. Option 1 is correct because it has 'as' and the article 'a'. Option 2 uses 'like', which means 'similar to', not the actual job. Option 3 is missing the article 'a' before a singular countable job noun. Option 4 is a question form, not a statement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “crane operator”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.