1
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
2
as in curves
something that curves or is curved
carried the baby in the crook of her arm
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in bends
to cause to turn away from a straight line
crooked a finger
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in trends
to turn away from a straight line or course
the road suddenly crooked to the left
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of crooks
Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2026
But hopes that the punch was a wake-up call to the crooks.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
Against Maduro and his crooks, who turn our country into a humanitarian crisis.
—David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 2026
The crooks of The Killing have pretty much anticipated everything — but the sheer unpredictability of human nature still destroys them.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
For early summer, there are beets with brown butter and poppy seeds, to dye gemelli a vibrant magenta; as fall approaches, green lentil ragù with roasted cherry tomatoes, to get caught in the crooks of cascatelli.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2025
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
Hopkins later gets shot while trying to apprehend the crooks and gets a visit from the ladies while in the hospital.
—Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Set in Los Angeles, the film will chart how a single crime weaves together the lives of a TV host, his restless wife, a country music idol, two small-time crooks and an ex-con, all of whom are chasing the promise of a better life.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
Santiago Ajsac Sirin never recovered after he was attacked by a group of crooks on Second Ave.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2026
But hopes that the punch was a wake-up call to the crooks.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
Against Maduro and his crooks, who turn our country into a humanitarian crisis.
—David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 2026
The crooks of The Killing have pretty much anticipated everything — but the sheer unpredictability of human nature still destroys them.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
For early summer, there are beets with brown butter and poppy seeds, to dye gemelli a vibrant magenta; as fall approaches, green lentil ragù with roasted cherry tomatoes, to get caught in the crooks of cascatelli.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2025
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
Hopkins later gets shot while trying to apprehend the crooks and gets a visit from the ladies while in the hospital.
—Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Set in Los Angeles, the film will chart how a single crime weaves together the lives of a TV host, his restless wife, a country music idol, two small-time crooks and an ex-con, all of whom are chasing the promise of a better life.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crooks
Noun
-
Violence is widespread in the city proper, with large encampments where meth and other drugs are readily available and criminals reportedly exploit the city’s free bus system to carry out offenses.—
Michael Ruiz , Adriana James-Rodil,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Godwin is well known in the space, having assisted law enforcement nationwide leading to the removal of hundreds of criminals from the streets.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Original EveryWear Zero Waistband Micro Flare Jeans Designed to hug your curves and shape your waist, the Zero Waistband Micro Flare Jeans have a flare leg and a high waist that elongates the legs.—
Melanie Fincher,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
-
An accidental rear-end collision is what brings Davis and Maya together in the first place—and their ensuing relationship, though not without its bumps, sends the story on some of its more pleasurable curves.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Where the vortex bends southward, cold air follows.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
9 Feb. 2026
-
This orbit allowed the spacecraft to pass behind Jupiter relative to Earth, creating a rare opportunity to study how the planet’s atmosphere bends radio signals.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When tensions are high or people are gloomy, the Dow tends to drop; when people sing a more positive tune, the Dow trends upward.—
Auzinea Bacon,
CNN Money,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The New York Times’ daily poll approval average is 43 percent, while RealClearPolitics, which usually trends more Trump-friendly, shows a 44 percent job approval.—
Myra Adams,
Washington Post,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Cowley wants to champion policies that attack the root causes of violence while holding offenders accountable, according to her campaign website.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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My key priorities include prosecuting violent offenders, gangs, traffickers, fentanyl dealers, and cartels; supporting local law enforcement; pursuing lawsuits to defend Texas; and aggressively investigating and prosecuting fraud.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Its outstanding appeal, grandish curvatures and extraordinary interior design are just the norm for the upscale interior brand.—
Marc D. Grasso,
Boston Herald,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Posture Changes Spine curvatures can make standing up straight difficult, causing lower right back pain.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Mark Lanier, a lawyer for the plaintiff, questioned Mosseri on Wednesday about whether Instagram chooses profits over the health and safety of minors and whether Mosseri oversees an app that hooks younger users.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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The cat who reaches through the kennel bars and hooks a paw around your finger.—
Cathy M. Rosenthal,
San Antonio Express-News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But what the script sweeps under, Laurence Olivier’s performance brings back out to some extent.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Mysterious wave of bot traffic sweeps the web In recent weeks, websites large and small have seen dramatic spikes in visitors with IP addresses in Lanzhou, China — a manufacturing-heavy city that’s not known as a tech hub — with some of the visits routed through Singapore.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crooks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crooks. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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