gone

1 of 2

adjective

ˈgȯn 

also ˈgän

1

a

: lost, ruined

… lost looks and gone faculties …

—Penelope Gilliatt

b

: dead

c

: characterized by sinking or dropping

… the empty or gone feeling in the abdomen so common in elevators …

—H. G. Armstrong

2

a

: involved, absorbed

far gone in his quest for power

b

: possessed with a strong attachment or a foolish or unreasoning love or desire : infatuated

—often used with on

… was real gone on that man …

—Pete Martin

c

: pregnant

she's six months gone

3

: past

… memories of gone summers …

—John Cheever

4

: not present : absent

has been gone two hours

5

slang : great

… a real gone fashion reporter.

—Inez Robb

gone

2 of 2

past participle of go entry 1

Synonyms of gone

Adjective

• extinct
• vanished
• defunct
• expired
• done
• departed

Examples of gone in a Sentence

Adjective

She should have been back by now. She's been gone for more than an hour.

The outfielder went back to the fence and jumped, but the ball was gone.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And even with those two gone, Dubar slid down Boise State’s depth chart, managing just three carries for 12 yards so far in 2025. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 5 Nov. 2025

Not only are the views, of course, often repulsive, but the actual form of argument is not argument… That’s what interests me, that even the most basic principles that people have worked on for 2,000 years to establish what a fact means…gone. —Josh Zajdman, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2025

Al-Khatib’s home an d almost everything his family owned is long gone. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025

By reprogramming ordinary cells—like skin fibroblasts—into stem cells, scientists hope to create eggs and sperm from individuals long gone. —Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of go

First Known Use

Adjective

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing gone

• been/gone down this/that road before
• days gone by
• dead and gone
• far gone
• gone/been through the wringer
• gone down the dumper
• gone his own way
• gone out of business
• gone too far
• long gone

Rhymes for gone

• aune
• bon
• bonne
• brawn
• chon
• con
• conn
• crohn
• dawn
• drawn
• fawn
• hon

Kids Definition

gone

adjective

ˈgȯn 

also ˈgän

1

: dead entry 1 sense 1

2

a

: being advanced, involved, or absorbed

far gone in grief

b

: being infatuated

gone on each other

Medical Definition

gone

adjective

ˈgȯn also ˈgän

: pregnant

she's six months gone