1
as in associates
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 friends
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 cronies
Republican presidents have displayed a decades-long tendency to fill the top spot with political cronies or pro-business activists masquerading as worker advocates, or worse.
—
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Leave ownership undefined, and the moon will become a playground for politicians and their cronies.
—Antony Davies, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Magyar has called for all of Orbán’s cronies in the government to resign and has committed to holding to account those who plundered Hungary.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Her earliest moments in the show have shades of a western—No Country for Old Men with a side of devout Trump supporters, sniffer dogs, petrifying cronies, and balloons stuffed with fentanyl and swallowed with lube.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2026
Too many department heads are cronies, not experienced experts.
—Hal Valderhaug, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Slowly, Castro’s cronies built a kleptocracy that proved ruinous to the Cuban people, but hugely profitable to them.
—Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Perpetuating the Castros or some of their cronies….
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
And at a time when the president of the United States and his cronies have embarked on a bid to make the country less democratic and less pluralistic, a media company that has shown a clear willingness to align itself with that mission is about to get dramatically bigger.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Leave ownership undefined, and the moon will become a playground for politicians and their cronies.
—Antony Davies, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Magyar has called for all of Orbán’s cronies in the government to resign and has committed to holding to account those who plundered Hungary.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Her earliest moments in the show have shades of a western—No Country for Old Men with a side of devout Trump supporters, sniffer dogs, petrifying cronies, and balloons stuffed with fentanyl and swallowed with lube.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2026
Too many department heads are cronies, not experienced experts.
—Hal Valderhaug, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Slowly, Castro’s cronies built a kleptocracy that proved ruinous to the Cuban people, but hugely profitable to them.
—Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Perpetuating the Castros or some of their cronies….
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
And at a time when the president of the United States and his cronies have embarked on a bid to make the country less democratic and less pluralistic, a media company that has shown a clear willingness to align itself with that mission is about to get dramatically bigger.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cronies
Noun
-
More than 30 people, including members and associates of four major Mafia crime families, Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and ex-NBA player Damon Jones, have been implicated in the gambling scandal.—
Chloe Atkins,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
-
Today, Leonard and his associates seemed to have buried the hatchet.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Reporters, editors and guests of the many publications in attendance filed in, searching for their tables, yapping with old – or possibly new – friends and lining up to get a photo in front of the main table.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
-
But do those connections turn into friends?—
Mary Frances Ruskell,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In a 2006 study, Redelmeier and his colleagues found that acronyms may improve a trial’s likelihood of being cited.—
Clarissa Brincat,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
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So many of my female colleagues are moms or moms-to-be, and there is comfort in being around other working women who are also building families.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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To see Ben’s growth, to see Jon, his rapid ascent, and to see the team’s success, to see DA — there’s a tremendous sense of pride watching your buddies do such great things professionally.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
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But after Shedeur Sanders last year had his number leaked to various sources — including the son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich who turned it into a prank phone call with his buddies — the league made changes this year.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In business schools, high-diversity cohorts earned starting salaries that were a standard deviation or more above the median 966 times out of 3,964 cohorts.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The growth came from all income cohorts and the momentum continued into April, Niccol said Wednesday in an interview with Bloomberg Television.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Thola-Duran and his accomplices used the money to purchase various assets, including real estate and horses, according to prosecutors.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
None of the three had anything to do with the crimes committed by their husbands, but they’ve all been shunned by neighbors and friends, and viewed as accomplices by outsiders.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike many of her peers, Pau decided to maintain a professional day job while pursuing her artistic practice.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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According to the report, around 40 percent of Black adults are getting fewer than seven hours of sleep per night on average and are less likely to wake up feeling well-rested than their Asian, white and Hispanic peers.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cronies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cronies. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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