Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

by hook or by crook

Cultural  
  1. By whatever means possible, fair or unfair: “Polly was determined to get an A on the exam by hook or by crook.”


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Seemingly, all the children of the Valley are being shuttled by their parents toward Stanford, where they will matriculate by hook or by crook.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 12, 2026

Still, by hook or by crook, I do hope we eventually tear down the decaying rental infrastructure in order to rebuild a rental car system that is several degrees saner than the one we’ve inherited.

From Slate Jul. 28, 2023

Theater may still be a fraud but, by hook or by crook, it’s going to be her fraud.

From New York Times Jan. 28, 2021

They’re in business to make money, and if that means directing players by hook or by crook to the schools they’re invested in, so be it.

From Washington Post Oct. 25, 2018

Tomorrow, however, would be another story, and I was determined that, by hook or by crook, my friend Bunnicula would eat by sundown the next day.

From "Bunnicula" by Deborah Howe and James Howe

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training