crooked; crooking; crooks
1
2
: a part of something that is hook-shaped, curved, or bent
the crook of an umbrella handle
4
: a person who engages in fraudulent or criminal practices
Synonyms
Examples of crook in a Sentence
Verb
He crooked his finger at us and led us to the table.
the road suddenly crooked to the left
Noun
He thinks politicians are just a bunch of crooks.
the crook of his arm
The squirrel sat in the crook of the tree.
the crook of the cane
Recent Examples on the Web
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 4 May 2020
Over the last decades, people are using smartphones and gadgets and living a working life by the computer with shoulders crooked forward.
—Vogue, 16 May 2019
Doing so causes the C930 to spring open slightly, allowing you to crook a finger under the lid and continue opening it.
—Mark Hachman, PCWorld, 30 Aug. 2018
Lines that appear straight on the linens were crooked when scanned into a computer.
—Vipal Monga, WSJ, 30 May 2018
Would crooked Hillary have brought little rocket man to the table?
—Fox News, 2 May 2018
Mother daughter teas are a particularly fun opportunity for mothers and daughters to dress up, crook their pinkies while eating tiny sandwiches, sip tea, and spend quality time together.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2018
Mills crooked his head, brow furrowed, and paused a second.
—Michael Powell, New York Times, 17 July 2017
David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
The crooks then repair the packaging, return to a store and place the cards back on a rack.
—Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 10 Apr. 2024
Sure, crooks will steal cash or gift cards that people send in the mail too.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 28 Mar. 2024
The crooks now have to find the duo who unwittingly took off with the package and retrieve it.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024
Spoiler: The ads contain malware that helps crooks hack into the account.
◾ Fake websites often claim to sell in-game currency.
—Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
But each week’s new cases require new clients, new patients, new victims and killers and crooks, some at least mildly famous and each of them plausible for whatever fantastical circumstance the writers have dreamed up.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Shortly after my aerobics class started, the crook called the community center pretending to be a bank manager.
—Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024
The more crooks know about the layout, the better for them.
—Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
Had the train recently hosted the cast of Cirque du Soleil, perhaps, who insisted on descending head first, arms outstretched, after crooking one knee over the top rung?
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 4 May 2020
Over the last decades, people are using smartphones and gadgets and living a working life by the computer with shoulders crooked forward.
—Vogue, 16 May 2019
Doing so causes the C930 to spring open slightly, allowing you to crook a finger under the lid and continue opening it.
—Mark Hachman, PCWorld, 30 Aug. 2018
Lines that appear straight on the linens were crooked when scanned into a computer.
—Vipal Monga, WSJ, 30 May 2018
Would crooked Hillary have brought little rocket man to the table?
—Fox News, 2 May 2018
Mother daughter teas are a particularly fun opportunity for mothers and daughters to dress up, crook their pinkies while eating tiny sandwiches, sip tea, and spend quality time together.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2018
Mills crooked his head, brow furrowed, and paused a second.
—Michael Powell, New York Times, 17 July 2017
Noun
There is concerning news from Harry’s former assistant Syd (Keith Pinto), reporting that an innocent man from years prior might have been hanged, and Mooney may be the actual crook looking to continue inflicting damage.
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
The crooks then repair the packaging, return to a store and place the cards back on a rack.
—Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 10 Apr. 2024
Sure, crooks will steal cash or gift cards that people send in the mail too.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 28 Mar. 2024
The crooks now have to find the duo who unwittingly took off with the package and retrieve it.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024
Spoiler: The ads contain malware that helps crooks hack into the account.
◾ Fake websites often claim to sell in-game currency.
—Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
But each week’s new cases require new clients, new patients, new victims and killers and crooks, some at least mildly famous and each of them plausible for whatever fantastical circumstance the writers have dreamed up.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Shortly after my aerobics class started, the crook called the community center pretending to be a bank manager.
—Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024
The more crooks know about the layout, the better for them.
—Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crook.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near crook
Cite this Entry
“Crook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crook. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crook
1 of 2 verbcrook
2 of 2 noun1
: a shepherd's staff with one end curved into a hook
2
: a dishonest person (as a thief or swindler)
3
: a curved or hooked part of a thing : bend
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