cranking up
Turning it louder
Cranking up means increasing intensity, volume, or power.
You crank up the music, crank up the pressure, crank up production.
The image comes from hand-cranking engines or machinery to get them running.
To crank something up can also mean to start or activate it: Let's crank up the grill.
The phrase suggests energetic, deliberate action rather than gentle adjustment.
- turning upArriving or increasing
- heightenIncrease in degree
- full blastMaximum power or volume
- amplifyIncrease in strength
- driveOperate a vehicle
push · boost · escalate · ramping up · torque · intensify · pumping up · rev · engine · magnify · ignition · firing up · energize · accelerate · surge · propel · gear · expand
- growthgrowth, grow, growing, growth rate, increase
- machine idiomswell-oiled machine, gears turning, firing on all cylinders, grinding gears, full steam ahead
- amplifyingboosting, magnifying, intensifying, heightening, strengthening
- intensificationamplification, escalation, heightening, intensification, magnification
- accelerationaccelerate, acceleration, accelerating, speed up, speeding up
- beginningsbegin, beginning, start, first, opening
cranking upturning down
Refusing to accept
dialing down · lowering · reducing · quieting · muting
cranking upshutting down
Ending operation or activity
turning off · switching off · powering down · killing · cutting
cranking upwinding down
Gradually decreasing toward conclusion
scaling back · slowing down · tapering off · easing up · de-escalating