crook

Compared meaning: a person who breaks the law (noun).

比较义项：违法者、罪犯（名词）。

• criminal

  The neutral, general legal term for someone who has committed a crime; used in formal, everyday, and courtroom contexts without special connotation of dishonesty or fleeing.

  中性、通用的法律用语，泛指犯罪的人，常用于正式、日常及法庭语境，不特别强调欺诈或逃亡的含义。

  The judge described him as a dangerous criminal with several prior convictions.

  法官称他是一名有多次前科的危险罪犯。

• crook 本词

  An informal word for a dishonest, scheming person, especially a swindler or thief; focuses on deceit rather than violence, common in everyday speech.

  口语化用词，指惯于行骗或使诈的不诚实之人，多指骗子或小偷，强调欺骗而非暴力，常用于日常口语。

  Don't trust that crook—he's swindled half the town out of their savings.

  别相信那个骗子——他已经骗光了半个镇子人的积蓄。

• outlaw

  Emphasizes a person who has broken the law and lives in hiding from it, historically linked to bandits on the frontier; more literary or dramatic in tone.

  强调此人违反法律并躲避追捕，历史上常与边疆的强盗联系在一起，语气更具文学性或戏剧性。

  The outlaw robbed banks across the frontier before finally being captured.

  这名逃犯在被捕之前曾在边疆各地抢劫银行。

All three mean a person who breaks the law. Criminal is the neutral, general legal term. Crook is informal for a dishonest person, like a swindler. Outlaw means someone hiding from the law, linked to bandits; the verb 'outlaw' meaning 'make illegal' is not compared.

这三个词在该义项下都可以指违法的人，但语气和侧重不同：criminal 是最中性、最正式的通用说法；crook 是口语化说法，强调惯于行骗或使诈，未必真的被定罪；outlaw 强调此人逃避法律制裁、不受法律保护，常带有历史或戏剧色彩。此处不比较 outlaw 作动词表示「宣布……为非法」的用法。

Compared meaning: to bend something (verb).

比较义项：弯曲、使弯曲（动词）。

• curve

  A general, neutral verb for bending anything into a curved shape; used for roads, bodies, lines, and technical descriptions; common in everyday speech and writing.

  curve是通用、中性的动词，可指任何事物弯曲成曲线状，可用于道路、身体、线条等，日常和书面语中都很常见。

  The gymnast curved her spine into a perfect arch during the routine.

  那位体操运动员在动作中把脊背弯成了一个完美的弧形。

• crook 本词

  A narrow, somewhat old-fashioned verb used almost only for bending a finger or arm, especially as a beckoning gesture; rare outside this fixed collocation.

  crook是较为陈旧、用法狭窄的动词，几乎只用于弯曲手指或手臂，尤其是勾手指示意的动作；除这一固定搭配外很少使用。

  He crooked his finger to beckon the waiter over to the table.

  他勾了勾手指，示意服务员过来。

Both can mean to bend something. Curve is general and neutral, used for bending roads, bodies, or lines. Crook is old-fashioned, used almost only for bending a finger or arm, as a beckoning gesture; the noun 'crook' meaning 'a dishonest person' is not compared here.

这两个词在“使弯曲”这一义项上意思相近，但curve是通用词，可用来说道路、身体、线条等各种事物的弯曲；crook则几乎只用于“弯曲手指（勾手指示意）”这一固定搭配，语气偏陈旧、书面。另外，crook还有“骗子”的名词义，这里不作比较。