by hook or crook

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Catastrophe” felt more like the first decade of my marriage, which was very confusing, trying by hook or crook to shed bad habits that I had.

From Los Angeles Times

By hook or crook, she was going to see Beyoncé.

From Washington Post

In a jukebox musical set to songs by the pop whisperer Max Martin, May is obviously going to sing, by hook or crook, Britney Spears’s “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” while pondering exactly where on the gender spectrum feels right.

From New York Times

"I wanted to go back but I didn't want to be seen as a failure. I thought, 'I'm a determined young man, I want to succeed by hook or crook in this country,' and that carried me."

From BBC

“I was stunned by it. By hook or crook I was going to get a flight shot. It was 10 in the morning, and I was in an open safari vehicle. I waited for five hours for this bird to fly,” says Cavanagh.

From Seattle Times