1
as in idiots
a stupid person
an unfortunate tendency to call those who disagree with him "brainless goons"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the crime boss threatened to send the goons after him if he squealed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of goons
Willa eludes Lockjaw's goons with the help of Deandra (Regina Hall), a French 75 member, and finds refuge with the Sisters of the Brave Beaver, a convent of sympathetic (if exhausted) nuns.
—
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
No more random goons without background checks, and fire all who never should have been hired.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
Now, fresh reporting by the New York Times documents the wild ride that turned a group of crypto goons into a national laughing stock.
—Joe Wilkins Published Feb 5, Futurism, 5 Feb. 2026
Get your goons out of Minnesota.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Senate Democrats should continue to block Homeland Security funding until the goons are gone from Minnesota and Noem is gone from Washington.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2026
He’s aided by Jessica Jones, who uses her super strength (and sarcasm) to beat up Kingpin’s goons.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
The fear caused by her masked goons and their disregard of due process leaves us citizens afraid to leave their homes.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 22 Jan. 2026
But the sequences featuring Jimmy Crystal and his goons are far more sadistic, and needlessly unpleasant.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
No more random goons without background checks, and fire all who never should have been hired.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
Now, fresh reporting by the New York Times documents the wild ride that turned a group of crypto goons into a national laughing stock.
—Joe Wilkins Published Feb 5, Futurism, 5 Feb. 2026
Get your goons out of Minnesota.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Senate Democrats should continue to block Homeland Security funding until the goons are gone from Minnesota and Noem is gone from Washington.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2026
He’s aided by Jessica Jones, who uses her super strength (and sarcasm) to beat up Kingpin’s goons.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
The fear caused by her masked goons and their disregard of due process leaves us citizens afraid to leave their homes.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 22 Jan. 2026
But the sequences featuring Jimmy Crystal and his goons are far more sadistic, and needlessly unpleasant.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goons
Noun
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What sets Brule apart from fellow idiots in similar setups like Borat or Philomena Cunk is Reilly’s ability to present Brule with deep pathos and a sense of mystery, offering glimpses into a dark backstory, all made unsettling by the show’s analog-horror aesthetic.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
-
One gets the sense, reading DuBois, that Stanton’s fervor for political action stemmed from a dread of being governed by idiots.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The new Homeland Security person needs to unmask the thugs causing harm to families and innocent children.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The centerpiece is, of course, the melee/dance-off between the ensemble in white tutus and the violent thugs, toe blade and all.—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There are complicated brain-chemistry factors involved that have to do with testosterone, and dopaminergic systems, and kappa-opioid receptors, all of which seem to add up to a Jim Gaffigan joke about how men are morons compared with their wives.—
McKay Coppins,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The Dilbert principle — traced back to a quote in a 1995 strip — posited that managers and higher-ups are actually successful morons whose stubbornness is confused for real leadership qualities.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Many people copy cryptocurrency wallet addresses before sending digital currency, and those addresses can be valuable to criminals.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, chair of the council, said Monday that immigrants who aren’t criminals should be able to stay in the country, under certain conditions.—
Ana Goñi-Lessan,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The danger is in doing nothing as theocratic lunatics continue to weaponize with atomic bombs and modern missile delivery systems.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Even then, though, the popular take — the story of the lunatics taking over asylum — didn’t sit right with me.—
Paul Fischer,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
American gangsters ran the hotels and the gambling.—
Joseph J. Gonzalez,
The Conversation,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Kelly spends the first half of his book running through a who’s who of the New England underworld, gangsters and mob wannabes who likely came into contact with the art before the investigation reached Maine and Gentile.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There are no villains—or maybe life, or growing up, or getting older, is the villain.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
-
But watching Ready or Not 2, which comes from returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, I was consumed with how quaint its characterization of its villains was.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Set against mountainous landscapes and rural lakes, the story follows a wandering swordsman who is falsely accused of stealing a shipment of gold and must unravel a web of intrigue involving bandits, palace guards and corrupt officials while attempting to clear his name.—
Lin Ying-Hsuan,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Alongside attacks by bandits, Nigeria is also plagued by an insurgency fought by the Boko Haram extremist group and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Goons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goons. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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