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

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

The 30-second teaser sees Jackson hustling around town, making money and recruiting his team of crooks. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Oct. 2026 But con men and crooks operate in the same world as fixers, and journalists can be easy marks for a story that’s too good to be true. — Austin Elias-De Jesus, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026 The crooks beat him savagely, at one point slashing him with a machete, while demanding his iPhone password, officials said. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 22 Sep. 2026 Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a British soldier trying to keep the bomb from going boom, while Theo James and Sam Worthington are part of a gang of crooks with some trust issues. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026 More than most pictures about crooks and the men who chase them, Melville’s movie gets into the heads of its characters and the heart of their wicked deeds with surgical precision. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026 His actions reduced the time the crooks had inside the house. — Jermont Terry, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 Cox, working like a shoestring Peckinpah, sets up Strindler against the crooks who run the border town — the corrupt mayor and sheriff and a wealthy rancher. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026 Also in his orbit are a consortium of crooks, including his cousin Freddie, a hip junkie, and Pepper, a taciturn hoodlum who was friends with Ray’s dad, Big Mike, a legendary thief. — Niela Orr, Vulture, 20 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for crooks

Noun

Also protect the email account associated with your Social Security profile because criminals may target it to reset other passwords.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Ford placed the inmate’s bid for clemency on the agenda of the state pardons board — an example, Lombardo claims, of the way Ford treats criminals.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of criminals

Noun

The mix of shorter tracks (200m), shorter events (nothing longer than 3,000m), tighter curves and racing in spikes makes the injury risk too great.

— Liam Tharme, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2026
The digital telemetry monitor logs over 80 driving telemetry points per second including live motor temperatures, side-slip angles and brake pressure curves to offer real-time tutorial graphics to help drivers adjust their driving lines.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of curves

Verb

Keeping time is a natural theme for the novel, and Li bends it to her will, often flashing forward to reveal events in her characters’ futures.

— Radhika Jones, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Phoebe Bridgers, in her first film role, pulls off an uncanny transformation as a decoy who bends lines of age and gender.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of bends

Noun

His lacerating wit spares no member of his staff—a mix of true incompetents, off-putting savants, ticking time bombs, and onetime offenders prematurely consigned to professional purgatory.

— Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
Penalties increase if offenders cover their faces or someone is injured.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of offenders

Verb

Chrysalis hooks its clients up with social services and teaches them how to write a resume, navigate online job listings and handle an interview.

— Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Right before guests arrive, attach fishing line to the wire cage and hang the fall flower arrangement using cup hooks indoors or on nearby branches outside.

— Maria Sabella, Architectural Digest, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of hooks

Browse Nearby Words

crooking

crooks

croon

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Style

“Crooks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crooks. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of crooks

noun

verb

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