1. a close friend or companion, especially one involved in questionable activities
Usage: often implies favoritism or corruption

Examples

• The mayor was accused of giving jobs to his political cronies.
• She and her cronies spent the evening plotting their next business venture.
• The corrupt official surrounded himself with cronies who would do his bidding.
• His old college cronies still meet for dinner once a month.
• The investigation revealed a network of cronies benefiting from insider deals.
• She didn’t trust the new employee, suspecting he was just another crony of the boss.