crook

[ krook ]

/ krʊk /

noun

a bent or curved implement, piece, appendage, etc.; hook.

the hooked part of anything.

an instrument or implement having a bent or curved part, as a shepherd's staff hooked at one end or the crosier of a bishop or abbot.

a dishonest person, especially a sharper, swindler, or thief.

a bend, turn, or curve: a crook in the road.

the act of crooking or bending.

a pothook.

Also called shank. a device on some musical wind instruments for changing the pitch, consisting of a piece of tubing inserted into the main tube.

verb (used with object)

to bend; curve; make a crook in.

Slang. to steal, cheat, or swindle: She crooked a ring from that shop.

verb (used without object)

to bend; curve.

QUIZZES

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Question 1 of 7

What does “blatherskite” mean?

a person given to voluble, empty talk.

an ancient Greek or Roman farce that depended for effect largely upon ludicrous actions and gestures.

a check whose amount has been raised by forgery before cashing.

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Origin of crook

1125–75; Middle English crok(e) <Old Norse krāka hook

Words nearby crook

Cronus, Cronut, crony, cronyism, Cronyn, crook, crookback, crooked, crookery, Crookes, Crookes dark space

Definition for crook (2 of 3)

crook²

[ krook ]

/ krʊk /

adjective Australian.

sick or feeble.

ill-humored; angry.

out of order; functioning improperly.

unsatisfactory; disappointing.

Origin of crook

First recorded in 1875–80; perhaps alteration of cronk

Definition for crook (3 of 3)

Crook

[ krook ]

/ krʊk /

noun

George, 1829–90, U.S. general in Indian wars.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for crook

The crook then produces a MetroCard of his own and offers to swipe the would-be traveler through—for a premium price.
My Patrol With the NYPD’s Bill Bratton|Michael Daly|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Errichetti was a foul-mouthed megalomaniac and “a crook at heart,” Greene wrote.
The Real Story and Lesson of the Abscam Sting in ‘American Hustle’|Jimmy So|December 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Once I exposed the leading citizen of Dallas, the very top guy, as a crook who had stolen money.
Hugh Aynesworth Has Spent His Career Debunking JFK Conspiracy Theories|Malcolm Jones|November 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Kevin Kline won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his hilarious turn as Otto, an Anglophobe crook, in this 1988 comedy.
Best Orgasms in Movies, in Honor of National Orgasm Day (VIDEO)|Marlow Stern|July 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Iranians preferred the populist they did not know to the crook they did.
Rowhani's Empty Victory|Andrew Apostolou|June 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And he took with him his cane with the crook on the handle, hanging it over his paw.
Bully and Bawly No-Tail|Howard R. Garis
“Crook may be here any day or any hour,” said Paisley, returning to the doctor.
Red Men and White|Owen Wister
He would drop asleep like a dog at the shortest notice and lie with his face in the crook of his arm like a dead man.
The Beach of Dreams|H. De Vere Stacpoole
The door was hasped, with a crook let into a staple so that it might, if necessary, be padlocked.
In the Roar of the Sea|Sabine Baring-Gould
But unless you are what they call in this country a 'crooked' crook, you are standing in your own light.
The Real Man|Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for crook

crook

/ (krʊk) /

noun

a curved or hooked thing

a staff with a hooked end, such as a bishop's crosier or shepherd's staff

a turn or curve; bend

informal a dishonest person, esp a swindler or thief

the act or an instance of crooking or bending

Also called: shank a piece of tubing added to a brass instrument in order to obtain a lower harmonic series

verb

to bend or curve or cause to bend or curve

adjective

Australian and NZ informal

ill
of poor quality
unpleasant; bad

go crook or go off crook Australian and NZ informal to lose one's temper

go crook at or go crook on Australian and NZ informal to rebuke or upbraid

Word Origin for crook

C12: from Old Norse krokr hook; related to Swedish krok, Danish krog hook, Old High German krācho hooked tool

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with crook

crook

In addition to the idioms beginning with crook

crook one's elbow

also see:

by hook or crook

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crook