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definitions

crook

1
[kroo k]
See more synonyms for crook on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a bent or curved implement, piece, appendage, etc.; hook.
  2. the hooked part of anything.
  3. 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.
  4. a dishonest person, especially a sharper, swindler, or thief.
  5. a bend, turn, or curve: a crook in the road.
  6. the act of crooking or bending.
  7. a pothook.
  8. 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)
  1. to bend; curve; make a crook in.
  2. Slang. to steal, cheat, or swindle: She crooked a ring from that shop.
verb (used without object)
  1. to bend; curve.

Origin of crook

1
1125–75; Middle English crok(e) < Old Norse krāka hook

crook

2
[kroo k]
adjective Australian.
  1. sick or feeble.
  2. ill-humored; angry.
  3. out of order; functioning improperly.
  4. unsatisfactory; disappointing.

Origin of crook

2
First recorded in 1875–80; perhaps alteration of cronk

Crook

[kroo k]
noun
  1. George,1829–90, U.S. general in Indian wars.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for crook

rogue, villain, swindler, racketeer, scoundrel, robber, cheat, shyster, knave, pilferer, shark, fork, flex, meander, slither, curve, zigzag, bow, hook, snake

Examples from the Web for crook

Contemporary Examples of crook

Historical Examples of crook

  • And he's promised to pay for the pinto, so that don't make him a crook.

  • Now, the stool-pigeon in this trick is a swell English crook.

    Within the Law

    Marvin Dana

  • With them, the crook is presumed guilty at the outset of whatever may be charged against him.

    Within the Law

    Marvin Dana

  • If you'd been a crook, well, God knows how we'd a-panned out.

    Thoroughbreds

    W. A. Fraser

  • I am an outlaw, and get my living by hook and by crook in a manner it boots not now to tell of.

British Dictionary definitions for crook

crook

noun
  1. a curved or hooked thing
  2. a staff with a hooked end, such as a bishop's crosier or shepherd's staff
  3. a turn or curve; bend
  4. informal a dishonest person, esp a swindler or thief
  5. the act or an instance of crooking or bending
  6. Also called: shank a piece of tubing added to a brass instrument in order to obtain a lower harmonic series
verb
  1. to bend or curve or cause to bend or curve
adjective
  1. Australian and NZ informal
    1. ill
    2. of poor quality
    3. unpleasant; bad
  2. go crook or go off crook Australian and NZ informal to lose one's temper
  3. 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
Word Origin and History for crook
n.

early 13c., "hook-shaped instrument or weapon," from Old Norse krokr "hook, corner," cognate with Old High German kracho "hooked tool," of obscure origin but perhaps related to a widespread group of Germanic kr- words meaning "bent, hooked." Meaning "swindler" is American English, 1879, from crooked in figurative sense of "dishonest" (1708). Crook "dishonest trick" was in Middle English.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with crook

crook

In addition to the idioms beginning with crook

  • crook one's elbow

also see:

  • by hook or crook
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.