crony
gb/kɹˈoʊni/ us/kɹˈoʊni/
C1
English
cimbora, csókos
NOUN
C1
INFORMAL
1
cimbora
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s crony; an old crony
He went for a drink with a few old cronies from his army days.
Elment inni néhány régi cimborájával a katonaéveiből.
She’s always laughing with her cronies in the back row of the classroom.
Mindig a cimboráival nevetgél az osztályterem hátsó sorában.
I bumped into a crony of mine from my first job.
Learner examples
He is an old crony of my father.
Apám régi cimborája.
I met some cronies from school at the café.
Összefutottam néhány iskolai cimborámmal a kávézóban.
Common mistake:
Learners may use it like a neutral word for any friend; it often suggests a close, familiar relationship and can sound slightly negative in some contexts.
Meaning
a close friend or companion
Collocations
old crony
|close crony
|lifelong crony
|drinking crony
|school crony
|his cronies
|her cronies
|a crony from college
|a crony of mine
|an old crony of [someone]'s
Synonyms
pal (More neutral and common; less old-fashioned in tone.)
|
buddy (Often warmer and more casual; not necessarily long-term.)
|
mate (Common in British English; can be less specific than crony.)
Antonyms
enemy (Someone you oppose rather than befriend.)
|
stranger (Someone you do not know well or at all.)
Themes
relationships
|friendship
|social_life
Definition
a close friend, often an old friend
A close friend or companion, especially one you have known for a long time.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
2
csókos
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone] and his/her cronies; a crony of [a leader/official]
The minister was accused of giving contracts to cronies.
A minisztert azzal vádolták, hogy a csókosainak adta a szerződéseket.
After the election, several of the governor’s cronies were appointed to senior posts.
A választás után a kormányzó több csókosát is vezető posztokra nevezték ki.
Investigators said the scheme mainly benefited a small group of cronies.
Learner examples
The mayor gave jobs to his cronies.
A polgármester a csókosainak adott állásokat.
People complained about deals for cronies.
Az emberek panaszkodtak a csókosoknak juttatott üzletek miatt.
Common mistake:
Learners may miss the negative meaning; in politics and business, crony often implies unfair favoritism.
Meaning
a favored associate of power
Collocations
political crony
|business crony
|wealthy cronies
|the leader's cronies
|the president's cronies
|cronies in government
|crony appointments
|reward cronies
|protect cronies
|surround oneself with cronies
Synonyms
henchman (Stronger and more openly negative; suggests doing dirty work.)
|
lackey (Emphasizes servile obedience rather than friendship.)
|
toady (Focuses on flattering a powerful person to gain advantage.)
Antonyms
outsider (Not part of the inner circle that receives favors.)
|
independent (Not controlled by or benefiting from a powerful patron.)
Themes
politics
|business
|power
|ethics
Definition
a friend of a powerful person who gets special help
A person who is closely connected to someone in power and is trusted or favored, often in a way that suggests unfair advantage or corruption.
Grammar
Dictionary form
crony
IPA
GB/kɹˈoʊni/
US/kɹˈoʊni/
Syllables & stress
crony (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (crony)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: crony
- Plural: cronies
Word family
Forms
cronies
noun
Core family
cronyism
noun
Expressions
crony capitalism
1/kɹˈoʊni kˈæpɪtəlˌɪzəm/
fixed phrase
Capitalism with political favoritism
A type of capitalism where business success depends on close relationships with government officials, not just competition.
Examples
- Critics say the new policy promotes crony capitalism instead of fair competition.
- Crony capitalism can lead to corruption and unfair advantages for certain companies.
crony capitalism
1/kɹˈoʊni kˈæpɪtəlˌɪzəm/
fixed phrase
formal
business favors for political friends
a system where friends of leaders get unfair business advantages
Examples
- The report warned that crony capitalism was discouraging foreign investment.
- Voters were angry about crony capitalism and backroom deals.
- The reforms aimed to reduce crony capitalism by increasing transparency in public contracts.
Learner examples
- They criticized crony capitalism in the country.
crony politics
1/kɹˈoʊni pˈɑlətˌɪks/
fixed phrase
formal
politics run by favored friends
politics where leaders favor their friends
Examples
- The opposition party promised to end crony politics in the capital.
- Journalists investigated allegations of crony politics in the awarding of licenses.
- New rules were introduced to curb crony politics and improve hiring practices.
Learner examples
- People protested against crony politics.
old crony
1/ˈoʊld kɹˈoʊni/
fixed phrase
informal
a long-time close friend
a friend you have known for many years
Examples
- At the reunion, she spent the evening chatting with old cronies.
- He called up an old crony to ask for advice.
- They looked like two old cronies who had shared a lot of stories.
Learner examples
- He is an old crony of mine.