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
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
Charlotte Observer, 8 Dec. 2025
This is the best approach for stars whose characters have crooked, chipped or missing teeth.
—Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Aug. 2024
Jesse Raub, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
The most notable is an interlude that begins in a New York dive hotel where Marty literally lands in the orbit of Ezra Mushkin, a crook played with gnarled seediness by Abel Ferrara in one of many inspired casting strokes.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crook
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Verb
The Charlotte Observer dived into the crowd, lifted our arms to reach faces and crooked our necks to chat with the crowd.
—Charlotte Observer, 8 Dec. 2025
This is the best approach for stars whose characters have crooked, chipped or missing teeth.
—Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Aug. 2024
Noun
For these two professional crooks, however, that means squaring their desire for an everyday home life with chasing big scores and brutal murder.
—Jesse Raub, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
The most notable is an interlude that begins in a New York dive hotel where Marty literally lands in the orbit of Ezra Mushkin, a crook played with gnarled seediness by Abel Ferrara in one of many inspired casting strokes.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crook
Cite this Entry
“Crook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crook. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
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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