What does crook mean?
A crook is, most commonly today, a dishonest person — a thief, swindler, or cheat — and the word carries strong disapproval in everyday speech, from casual accusations to newspaper headlines about corrupt officials. The word's older meaning survives in the shepherd's crook: a long staff with a curved, hooked end used for catching and guiding sheep. A third sense treats the crook simply as a bend or curve, most often in the body, as when someone crooks an arm or a finger. As a verb, to crook means to bend something in this way. The word traces its history back through Old Norse krókr, meaning hook, which also gave us crooked. Its figurative leap from 'bent' to 'dishonest' reflects a longstanding association between physical crookedness and moral corruption. Familiar phrases such as 'by hook or by crook' preserve this rich heritage. Whether describing a villain or a simple bend, crook remains a compact, expressive word in both British and American English.
A dishonest person; a criminal, swindler, or cheat. Also, a hooked staff, especially one carried by a shepherd for catching sheep.
"The treasurer turned out to be a crook who had emptied the charity's accounts."
The criminal sense is informal but widely used; the shepherd's-staff sense is chiefly literal or historical.
To bend something, especially a limb such as an arm, elbow, or finger, into a curve or hook shape.
"He crooked his little finger as he raised the teacup."
Standard plural, used chiefly for the 'dishonest person' sense (e.g., a gang of crooks) and occasionally for multiple shepherd's crooks.
"Police warned residents that a pair of crooks was targeting elderly homeowners."
"By hook or by crook" — an English proverb since at least the 14th century — preserves the old sense of crook as a shepherd's hook, long before it meant a criminal.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crook
Crook derives from Old Norse krókr, meaning 'hook', which entered English during the medieval period following Scandinavian settlement. The noun originally referred to any hooked implement, most famously the shepherd's crook used for tending sheep, and the verb sense of bending developed alongside it. The extension to 'crooked' and then to moral dishonesty — a 'crooked' person being a crook — grew out of the symbolic link between physical curvature and deceit. Cognates include crochet and crotchet, both built on the same notion of a small hook.
Related word forms
How crook is actually used
The 'dishonest person' sense is informal and often colloquial, especially in American usage ('a bunch of crooks'). The shepherd's-crook sense is older and now largely literal or figurative. The verb sense is usually physical — bending a finger, elbow, or arm — and is standard in both British and US English.
Easily confused with crook
A crick is a painful stiffness in the neck or back, while a crook is either a bend/hook or a dishonest person.