Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

crankshaft

noun crank·shaft \ˈkraŋk-ˌshaft\

: a long metal piece that connects a vehicle's engine to the wheels and helps turn them

Full Definition of CRANKSHAFT

1
:  a shaft driven by or driving a crank
2
:  a shaft consisting of a series of cranks and crankpins to which the connecting rods of an engine are attached
See crankshaft defined for English-language learners
See crankshaft defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT

First Known Use of CRANKSHAFT

1854

Rhymes with CRANKSHAFT

abaft, aircraft, butt shaft, campcraft, camshaft, downdraft, driveshaft, engraft, handcraft, indraft, kingcraft, life raft, rockshaft, scoutcraft, seacraft, skin graft, spacecraft, stagecraft, statecraft, tradecraft, updraft, witchcraft, woodcraft

Learn More About CRANKSHAFT

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: crank–sidedPrevious Word in the Dictionary: crank pressAll Words Near: crankshaft
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries