1
as in associate
a person frequently seen in the company of another
the criminal's cronies were also closely questioned about the illegal gambling operation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in friend
a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another
only my cronies can call me by my nickname
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crony
Soon Leone was crawling back to the hackerama, where his old county crony Meehan made him… General Counsel.
—
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
Because all the wealth of that country was stolen to the benefit of Maduro and his cronies and the regime, but not to the benefit of people of Venezuela.
—NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
Hitler and his cronies characterized this as a national emasculation destined to be avenged with a Third Reich that would last a thousand years.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025
Rockwell and his business cronies turn up in the audience to watch Japanese dynamo Endo (Koto Kawaguchi) wipe the floor with Marty.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crony
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
Because all the wealth of that country was stolen to the benefit of Maduro and his cronies and the regime, but not to the benefit of people of Venezuela.
—NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
Hitler and his cronies characterized this as a national emasculation destined to be avenged with a Third Reich that would last a thousand years.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025
Rockwell and his business cronies turn up in the audience to watch Japanese dynamo Endo (Koto Kawaguchi) wipe the floor with Marty.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crony
Noun
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The Ohio State University has denied a petition to remove the name of Les Wexner—the billionaire fashion magnate, longtime OSU donor and business associate of Jeffrey Epstein—from the football practice facility at the school’s Woody Hayes Athletic Center.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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The Biden administration held negotiations with the Taliban to swap Americans detained in Afghanistan for Muhammad Rahim al Afghani, a Guantanamo Bay detainee alleged to have been an associate of Osama bin Laden, but the talks ultimately fell through.—
Camilla Schick,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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My friends have been shoved down, tear gassed, pulled over by ICE.—
Katherine Packert Burke,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
On one occasion my friend was coming for dinner at my house.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That the officers often swept up groups of colleagues, friends and family members was probably a matter of convenience more than anything else.—
M. Gessen,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Citi has enjoyed a 70% adoption rate of its proprietary AI tools, according to 2025 fourth-quarter findings, and colleagues across 84 countries interacted with the bank’s AI tools over 21 million times.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Kevin and his buddy Jason Young started texting.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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This beach is also dog-friendly, so count it a great place to bring a little buddy of your own.—
Alanna Bennett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That’s certainly a topic that’s up for discussion and is raised by Frank’s conviction — for killing a man while taking part as an accomplice in an armed robbery — at the age of 18.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
25 Jan. 2026
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The request came earlier this month in an amicus brief the lawmakers filed in the criminal case against Epstein’s former girlfriend and accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, whose files are also required to be released under the law.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Connect with peers who amplify your reach.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Apple has spent much less on artificial intelligence technology than its peers, such as Meta and Microsoft, which have committed to spending hundreds of billions on AI infrastructure.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Like Emanuel and his comrades, Harper and his film go a meaningful way in asking and offering an answer to that plaint.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
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Jagger’s bandmates, rock ‘n’ roll comrades, and other A-listers attended their vows—Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and Brigitte Bardot were just a few of the glitterati in the pews.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
17 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crony. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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