1
as in associate
a person frequently seen in the company of another
the criminal's cronies were also closely questioned about the illegal gambling operation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in friend
a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another
only my cronies can call me by my nickname
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crony
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crony
Noun
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The associate’s narrative was that Lucas met Sainz, the former State Department official, at a conference and invited Schiller, who lived in South Florida, to a meeting in Miami about humanitarian aid to Venezuela.—
Kevin G. Hall,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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While associate degree holders only spend 9 percent of their extra earnings on loans, bachelor’s degree holders spent 19 percent.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Victor Quispe Victor Quispe The friend said Quispe was a barber, and he recently got married and his wife is expecting.—
Lisa Rozner,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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First, Monty Miller (a suave, anguished Jon Hamm), Tommy’s lifelong friend and billionaire founder of M-Tex, dies suddenly, but not before naming the fixer as the new company president.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Politico cited congressional colleagues who did not wish to be named as saying LaMalfa suffered an aneurysm — a bulging of an arterial wall — and then a heart attack.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
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Moreno and his colleagues believe there is a small window in which to strike a deal and have proposed a longer period for open enrollment to soften the blow of premium increases.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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And my sister was busy ushering her two oldest kids, my usual up-for-anything dive buddy nieces, off to their first year of college.—
Terry Ward,
CNN Money,
6 Jan. 2026
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Kelce and Mahomes are the best of friends, and the thought of playing with his buddy and steakhouse co-owner might entice Kelce to return.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In 2009, Max B was sentenced to 75 years in prison, accused of being an accomplice to a robbery in New Jersey that ended in murder.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
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In 2015, Jennifer and her co-accomplices — Wong, Lenford Crawford and David Mylvaganam — were sentenced to two terms of life in prison for the murder and attempted murder of Bich and Hann, per the Toronto Star.—
Emily Krauser,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Pop stars often talk about working hard, but Rosalía makes most of her peers seem lazy, and, indeed, any listener not inclined to embark upon a multilingual research project may end up feeling a bit lazy, too.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
7 Nov. 2025
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That could include adding positions like peer support specialists, addressing retention challenges like access to child care and establishing partnerships between hospitals and nearby colleges to produce a steady stream of workers.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Will Trump offer Maduro refuge in another country—perhaps Turkey—in exchange for his asking his comrades in Caracas to stand down?—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
3 Jan. 2026
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All true but what has the proud Eagle Division accomplished with its worthy comrades the 10th Armored Division, the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion and all the rest?—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
25 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crony. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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