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 BassoSynonyms
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 WebDevan Coggan, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024
Like Patrick Swayze’s original character, Gyllenhaal’s Dalton hesitates when asked to protect a bar from local goons.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
The origins of those materials in the women’s trunk are teased gradually throughout the movie, which cuts between the road trip and the criminal shenanigans of a sinister character played by Colman Domingo and his goons, played by Joey Slotnick and C.J. Wilson.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
Before the show can begin, a new villain emerges named Grape, whose goons, the Sour Bunch, take control of the venue to put on their own show.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024
Unfortunately, his past comes back to haunt him when Finney turns out to be deeply in hock to Big Cat, who sends her goons to inflict some physical damage.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024
Paul’s goon Jeff gave him brass knuckles, and though the referee took them away, Paul capitalized on a low blow and a reverse Paul Crushing Finale.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
Led by the sadistic Agent Pamela Harris (Amy Ryan in a disappointing, lackluster performance), who claims Bob has been selling secrets to the enemy, the goons chase our heroes up the Eastern Seaboard.
—Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
One example is Maya’s unapologetic response to bombing one of Kingpin’s operations, an act of war that leads his goons to her hometown.
—David Zimmermann, National Review, 27 Jan. 2024
Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2024
The applause from the audience gradually died down as this list went on, as its brevity and the huge recent gaps became apparent.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Apr. 2024
At the turn of the millennium, the trio went on to found Octopus Group, the parent company of six financial and energy firms.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 27 Apr. 2024
For many students, life — graduation, bar crawls, ice cream at Hartzell's on Dunn Street — goes on.
—The Indianapolis Star, 27 Apr. 2024
Daimler Truck workers in the Charlotte region — and around the country — will go on strike at midnight against the automotive giant if a new contract can’t be worked out.
—Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 26 Apr. 2024
The couple went on the spend New Year’s Eve together, with the Only Murders in the Building actress sharing a photo to her Instagram Stories, in which Blanco has his arms wrapped around Gomez and seems to be giving her a kiss.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 26 Apr. 2024
Unlike poultry, which quickly die off or are culled after H5N1 infections, cows largely go on to recover after a month or two.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024
The automaker went on to spend over $500 million on renovations and upgrades to the RenCen in the late 1990s and early 2000s that were widely credited with making the center better, and its labyrinthine corridors somewhat easier to navigate.
—Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
Noun
The plot is your standard B-movie fare, as scheming real estate tycoon Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen) sends a horde of goons after Dalton, eager to acquire Frankie’s valuable beachside location.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024
Like Patrick Swayze’s original character, Gyllenhaal’s Dalton hesitates when asked to protect a bar from local goons.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
The origins of those materials in the women’s trunk are teased gradually throughout the movie, which cuts between the road trip and the criminal shenanigans of a sinister character played by Colman Domingo and his goons, played by Joey Slotnick and C.J. Wilson.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
Before the show can begin, a new villain emerges named Grape, whose goons, the Sour Bunch, take control of the venue to put on their own show.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024
Unfortunately, his past comes back to haunt him when Finney turns out to be deeply in hock to Big Cat, who sends her goons to inflict some physical damage.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024
Paul’s goon Jeff gave him brass knuckles, and though the referee took them away, Paul capitalized on a low blow and a reverse Paul Crushing Finale.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
Led by the sadistic Agent Pamela Harris (Amy Ryan in a disappointing, lackluster performance), who claims Bob has been selling secrets to the enemy, the goons chase our heroes up the Eastern Seaboard.
—Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
One example is Maya’s unapologetic response to bombing one of Kingpin’s operations, an act of war that leads his goons to her hometown.
—David Zimmermann, National Review, 27 Jan. 2024
Verb
That same year, one of the board’s members, Joe LaCava, went on to become a City Council member.
—Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2024
The applause from the audience gradually died down as this list went on, as its brevity and the huge recent gaps became apparent.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Apr. 2024
At the turn of the millennium, the trio went on to found Octopus Group, the parent company of six financial and energy firms.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 27 Apr. 2024
For many students, life — graduation, bar crawls, ice cream at Hartzell's on Dunn Street — goes on.
—The Indianapolis Star, 27 Apr. 2024
Daimler Truck workers in the Charlotte region — and around the country — will go on strike at midnight against the automotive giant if a new contract can’t be worked out.
—Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 26 Apr. 2024
The couple went on the spend New Year’s Eve together, with the Only Murders in the Building actress sharing a photo to her Instagram Stories, in which Blanco has his arms wrapped around Gomez and seems to be giving her a kiss.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 26 Apr. 2024
Unlike poultry, which quickly die off or are culled after H5N1 infections, cows largely go on to recover after a month or two.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024
The automaker went on to spend over $500 million on renovations and upgrades to the RenCen in the late 1990s and early 2000s that were widely credited with making the center better, and its labyrinthine corridors somewhat easier to navigate.
—Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near goon
Cite this Entry
“Goon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goon. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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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