CROOKS Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

crooks 1 of 2

noun

plural of crook

as in criminals

a person who has committed a crime a guy at the bar was raving about how all politicians are basically crooks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in curves

something that curves or is curved carried the baby in the crook of her arm

Synonyms & Similar Words

crooks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of crook

as in bends

to cause to turn away from a straight line crooked a finger

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in trends

to turn away from a straight line or course the road suddenly crooked to the left

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

straightens

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of crooks

Noun

Charles Cioffi, the veteran character actor who portrayed lots of cops and crooks in projects including Klute, Shaft, Get Christie Love! —

Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026 Per the logline, in Season 2 the Dars are drowning in dirty cash and Philly’s sketchiest crooks are circling. —

Denise Petski, Deadline, 6 May 2026 Or the fact that all cops may not be crooks. —

Literary Hub, 6 May 2026 Already cancelled my auto-renewal so you crooks can't rob me again in 2027. —

Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2026 The other crooks don’t have names worth learning, but the actors playing them, Shaun Mason and Nabil Elouahabi, do have memorable faces. —

Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026 But the single-take fight scene that follows, as Lindsay, Ashley, and Austin fend off the chairwoman’s crooks, benefits from the roving camera. —

Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026 Lopez said on top of it, the crooks also stole the catalytic converter from her personal car, which gets parked in the same lot, on Tuesday. —

Lauren Victory, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026 The crooks sped off in both luxury sedans, but the victim was able to track his phone using an app on his wife’s phone, and when cops caught up to the robbers, the BMW crashed into the Mercedes in a botched escape attempt. —

John Annese, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for crooks

Noun

An allegation last year by a provincial police commander that top officers and officials were colluding with organized criminals led Ramaphosa to announce a national investigation into police corruption.

— Michelle Gumede, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026
Roman emperors, sometimes urged on by the crowd, were known to grant pardons (to criminals) and freedom (to the enslaved) after an especially noteworthy performance.

— Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic, 13 June 2026