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
Slowly, Castro’s cronies built a kleptocracy that proved ruinous to the Cuban people, but hugely profitable to them.
—
Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Perpetuating the Castros or some of their cronies….
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
And at a time when the president of the United States and his cronies have embarked on a bid to make the country less democratic and less pluralistic, a media company that has shown a clear willingness to align itself with that mission is about to get dramatically bigger.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Did Iran nominate Bibi cronies with inexperienced backgrounds to run Israel’s most important security organizations — the Shin Bet and Mossad?
—Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crony
Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Perpetuating the Castros or some of their cronies….
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
And at a time when the president of the United States and his cronies have embarked on a bid to make the country less democratic and less pluralistic, a media company that has shown a clear willingness to align itself with that mission is about to get dramatically bigger.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Did Iran nominate Bibi cronies with inexperienced backgrounds to run Israel’s most important security organizations — the Shin Bet and Mossad?
—Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crony
Noun
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Before the sentence was handed down, Spann gave a 15-minute lecture, largely aimed at the three federal prosecutors seated across the courtroom from him, accusing them of cutting deals to get associates to lie.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Beatriz Browne is supervising producer and Ellie Vargas id associate producer.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Now she’s been coaxed out of retirement to make her mark in online criticism, at the urging of her close personal friend, the novelist and New Yorker contributor Paul Rudnick.—
Libby Gelman-Waxner,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Matt Shaw of the Chicago Cubs took on a stunning amount of hate for attending the memorial service of his close friend, Charlie Kirk, following his assassination.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In a follow-up email to ARTnews, Lord and Teng, the gallery’s two managing partners, said that Marian Goodman Gallery was not immune to market forces, much like its colleagues.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Occasionally, his wife, friends, or colleagues lend a hand.—
Rachel Ventresca,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Zachary Sanabria, 17, along with hundreds of participants and their buddies, took part in the 17th annual Walking for Friendship event.—
Najahe Sherman,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Hansard, guitar in hand, sat in the waiting room, waiting for his buddy to come out of the audition.—
Charles Moss,
SPIN,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Even though Epstein is long dead and his chief accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, is in prison, Benavidez says more people need to be held accountable.—
Hallie Jackson,
NBC news,
20 Apr. 2026
-
None of the three had anything to do with the crimes committed by their husbands, but they’ve all been shunned by neighbors and friends, and viewed as accomplices by outsiders.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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What social structures enabled Musk and his peers to acquire so much power, such that their messianic techno-reactionary futurism is a real threat rather than just fodder for b-rate science fiction?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
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Many of those workers were let go as programs that were not deemed life-saving were canceled — this includes community health workers going door-to-door to check on patients and facilitators who ran peer-support groups for HIV-positive teens.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His former comrades testified against him; incriminating photos, found hidden in his garden, were shown in court.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
19 Apr. 2026
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Yet the North Vietnamese were not the ideological comrades of American college students and Jane Fonda.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crony. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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