plural cronies
: a close friend usually of long standing : pal
played golf with his cronies
often, specifically
: a person who unfairly receives special treatment see also cronyism, crony capitalism
Examples of crony in a Sentence
The mayor rewarded his cronies with high-paying jobs after he was elected.
the criminal's cronies were also closely questioned about the illegal gambling operation
Recent Examples on the Web
Future fears Such crony-like capitalism has also made CEOs from other industries wary.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 29 Aug. 2025
In the wake of the public unrest stoked by Shagan and his cronies, the country has descended into chaos.
—Jack King, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2025
Trump and his cronies have pulled out all the stops — short of arrests — to neuter and delegitimize legitimate journalism.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Texas Republicans have completely surrendered our state to Trump and his billionaire cronies, at the expense of selling out their constituents and Latino voters in South Texas.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for crony
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.
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 29 Aug. 2025
In the wake of the public unrest stoked by Shagan and his cronies, the country has descended into chaos.
—Jack King, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2025
Trump and his cronies have pulled out all the stops — short of arrests — to neuter and delegitimize legitimate journalism.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Texas Republicans have completely surrendered our state to Trump and his billionaire cronies, at the expense of selling out their constituents and Latino voters in South Texas.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for crony
Cite this Entry
“Crony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crony. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share