1
: a stupid person
2
a
: a man hired to terrorize or eliminate opponents
went on; gone on; going on; goes on
1
2
: to take place : happen
what's going on
3
: to talk especially in an effusive manner
the way people go on about their ancestors—
Hamilton Basso
Hamilton Basso
Synonyms
Noun
- airhead
- birdbrain
- blockhead
- bonehead
- bubblehead
- chowderhead
- chucklehead
- clodpoll
- clodpole
- clot [British]
- cluck
- clunk
- cretin
- cuddy [British dialect]
- cuddie
- deadhead
- dim bulb [slang]
- dimwit
- dip
- dodo
- dolt
- donkey
- doofus [slang]
- dope
- dork [slang]
- dullard
- dum-dum
- dumbbell
- dumbhead
- dummkopf
- dummy
- dunce
- dunderhead
- fathead
- gander
- golem
- goof
- half-wit
- hammerhead
- hardhead
- idiot
- ignoramus
- imbecile
- jackass
- know-nothing
- knucklehead
- lamebrain
- loggerhead [chiefly dialect]
- loon
- lump
- lunkhead
- meathead
- mome [archaic]
- moron
- mug [chiefly British]
- mutt
- natural
- nimrod [slang]
- nincompoop
- ninny
- ninnyhammer
- nit [chiefly British]
- nitwit
- noddy
- noodle
- numskull
- numbskull
- oaf
- pinhead
- prat [British]
- ratbag [chiefly Australian]
- saphead
- schlub [slang]
- shlub
- schnook [slang]
- simpleton
- stock
- stupe
- stupid
- thickhead
- turkey
- woodenhead
- yahoo
- yo-yo
Verb
Examples of goon in a Sentence
Noun
He was beat up by a couple of goons.
an unfortunate tendency to call those who disagree with him “brainless goons”
Verb
what in the world is going on in there?
my, but Aunt Betty does go on about all of her aches and pains
Recent Examples on the WebDavid Gilbert, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2023
There will be fanboys and goons and the people who always say women are lying who will attack Tracy from their social media account with the handle realman22245332.
—Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2023
She has been attacked by goons who were hunting for Fassbender.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2023
Now her former sister-in-law has descended with her goons to hide out in a shack near Sinéad’s home.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2023
Their creepier-than-it-needed-to-be exchange is blessedly interrupted by alarm-raising Ehsan, who didn't think about alerting the legions of security goons about his internet discovery and the mortal threat in their midst.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2023
But tossing those into an earnest action-flick stew with an all-powerful AI, rival hackers and endless nondescript goons for Gadot to kick in the face just doesn’t help tell a focused story.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2023
Less than two years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin sat alone at a desk in a palatial room lecturing his top national security goons about how Ukraine needed to be invaded.
—Ben Makuch, The New Republic, 26 July 2023
On the way, the two encounter smugglers, cosplayers, violent goons and aliens — some of them real, and some merely figments of Peter’s constantly racing imagination.
—Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023
Oliver Franklin-Wallis, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2023
Ticket requests for the Phish run (April 18, 19, 20 and 21) now open here, and will stay open through noon ET on Dec. 11; all remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. ET.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 30 Nov. 2023
An independent entity named Chi-X was also established in the previous year (and indeed went on to become the ultimate victor in the liquidity battle), but that’s a different story told better by those who worked there.
—Damian Bunce, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
Separate travel packages go on sale tomorrow (Dec. 1).
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 30 Nov. 2023
Bythewood went on to thank the creative team behind the show as well as producer CBS Studios.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023
These days the switch to ginger or copper is less of a bid for transient warmth and more of a natural choice supported by an evolving palette of colors (cowboy copper, cinnamon cookie butter, the names go on and on).
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 30 Nov. 2023
The list goes on: Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball is also listed as an investor, as is University of Alabama football’s Dallas Turner, New England Revolution striker Jozy Altidore, and University of Michigan basketball’s Katelynn Flaherty Yates.
—Gw Allen, Robb Report, 29 Nov. 2023
Last year, another image from Princess Diana’s photoshoot with Bailey went on display at Kensington Palace, her former home.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 29 Nov. 2023
See More
Noun
Xenophobic goons are boosted by the platform’s CEO.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2023
There will be fanboys and goons and the people who always say women are lying who will attack Tracy from their social media account with the handle realman22245332.
—Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2023
She has been attacked by goons who were hunting for Fassbender.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2023
Now her former sister-in-law has descended with her goons to hide out in a shack near Sinéad’s home.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2023
Their creepier-than-it-needed-to-be exchange is blessedly interrupted by alarm-raising Ehsan, who didn't think about alerting the legions of security goons about his internet discovery and the mortal threat in their midst.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2023
But tossing those into an earnest action-flick stew with an all-powerful AI, rival hackers and endless nondescript goons for Gadot to kick in the face just doesn’t help tell a focused story.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2023
Less than two years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin sat alone at a desk in a palatial room lecturing his top national security goons about how Ukraine needed to be invaded.
—Ben Makuch, The New Republic, 26 July 2023
On the way, the two encounter smugglers, cosplayers, violent goons and aliens — some of them real, and some merely figments of Peter’s constantly racing imagination.
—Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023
Verb
In a city that has seen near-constant civic engineering work going on for the last two decades, the sewer project has not always been popular.
—Oliver Franklin-Wallis, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2023
Ticket requests for the Phish run (April 18, 19, 20 and 21) now open here, and will stay open through noon ET on Dec. 11; all remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. ET.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 30 Nov. 2023
An independent entity named Chi-X was also established in the previous year (and indeed went on to become the ultimate victor in the liquidity battle), but that’s a different story told better by those who worked there.
—Damian Bunce, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
Separate travel packages go on sale tomorrow (Dec. 1).
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 30 Nov. 2023
Bythewood went on to thank the creative team behind the show as well as producer CBS Studios.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023
These days the switch to ginger or copper is less of a bid for transient warmth and more of a natural choice supported by an evolving palette of colors (cowboy copper, cinnamon cookie butter, the names go on and on).
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 30 Nov. 2023
The list goes on: Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball is also listed as an investor, as is University of Alabama football’s Dallas Turner, New England Revolution striker Jozy Altidore, and University of Michigan basketball’s Katelynn Flaherty Yates.
—Gw Allen, Robb Report, 29 Nov. 2023
Last year, another image from Princess Diana’s photoshoot with Bailey went on display at Kensington Palace, her former home.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 29 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'goon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near goon
Cite this Entry
“Goon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goon. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
Etymology
Noun
probably a shortened form of a dialect word gooney "simpleton"
Word Origin
Some comic strips have had a lasting effect on culture. One such strip, first drawn in the 1920s by Elzie Segar and now known as "Popeye," apparently was responsible for adding the word goon to the every-day language. One of the characters Segar created for the comic strip looked a bit like an overgrown pear with legs. This creature, which was not really human, had a big nose, a bald head, and hairy arms and legs. It was called "Alice the goon." Alice was basically good-hearted but not very smart. As a result of the popularity of the comic strip and of Alice, people began to use the word goon in the meaning "a stupid person" or "a person with not much common sense." Later, when thugs and criminals were hired to terrorize workers during labor troubles in the 1930s, these thugs, whose actions weren't very "human," were also called goons. But even though Alice may have been responsible for making the word goon popular, the word may not have started with the comic strip. The word can be traced back to an English dialect word gooney, first used in the 16th century, meaning "a person lacking in common sense, simpleton."
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