Meaning & use
hand crank
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Meanings
nouncountable
A handle that you turn with your hand to make a machine or device work.
Grammar: Countable: use a/an or the, and the plural is hand cranks.
Patterns
- turn a hand crank
- a hand crank on something
- something has a hand crank
The old radio has a hand crank on the side, so it works without batteries.
He turned the hand crank slowly until the engine started.
The ice cream maker is powered by a hand crank.
verbtransitive
To turn a handle by hand in order to start or operate a machine.
Grammar: Takes an object: hand-crank the engine. Often used in the passive: the car had to be hand-cranked.
Patterns
- hand-crank something
- something is hand-cranked
In the 1920s, drivers had to hand-crank their cars to get them going.
She hand-cranked the flashlight for a minute so it would light up.
The machine can be hand-cranked when the power goes out.
Word forms
| plural | hand cranks |
|---|---|
| third person singular | hand-cranks |
| past tense | hand-cranked |
| past participle | hand-cranked |
| -ing form | hand-cranking |
Common combinations
- turn a hand crank
- Turn the hand crank clockwise to raise the bucket.
- hand-crank generator
- A hand-crank generator is useful during a long power cut.
- hand-cranked flashlight
- We keep a hand-cranked flashlight in the kitchen drawer.
- hand-crank the engine
- You had to hand-crank the engine before you could drive off.
- a hand crank on the side
- There is a hand crank on the side of the music box.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: hand crank or crank?
hand crank vs crank
On its own, crank can mean an odd or bad-tempered person, so hand crank is clearer when you mean the handle.
Practice
Which sentence uses hand crank correctly?
Choose one answer.
A hand crank is a part of a machine, so it can break or be turned. Option 1 confuses it with the verb phrase 'hand in' or 'crank open', option 3 confuses it with 'commute', and option 4 makes no sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hand crank”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.