goon

1 of 2

noun

1
: a stupid person
2
a
: a man hired to terrorize or eliminate opponents

go on

2 of 2

verb

went on; gone on; going on; goes on

intransitive verb

1
a
: to continue on or as if on a journey
life goes on
went on to greater things
b
: to keep on : continue
went on smoking
c
: proceed
went on to win the election
2
: to take place : happen
what's going on
3
: to talk especially in an effusive manner
the way people go on about their ancestorsHamilton Basso

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 Web
Noun
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 But his gambling catches up to him, and a few goons are sent to track him down. Robert Daniels, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024 By the time Emma’s former handler (Connie Nielsen) shows up at their home with goons in tow and orders her to kill her husband, the storyline has degenerated from mildly amusing black comedy to silly action-movie tropes. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Jan. 2024
Verb
Less than half of high school graduates in the state went on to pursue education past high school in 2022. The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 Before the Bell spoke with Saira Malik, chief investment officer at Nuveen, about what’s going on with services inflation and why that’s important for the Fed. Bryan Mena, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 Average White Band, $51.50 All shows not marked ** go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 16, at the Humphreys Restaurant box office, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, or online at ticketmaster.com. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at D'Amelio Footwear? Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 After receiving the award from Colombian actor and producer Sofía Vergara, Karol went on to give a passionate acceptance speech. Griselda Flores, Billboard, 9 Mar. 2024 Granada Hills went on a 10-1 run and got as close as 50-44 with four minutes left before the comeback stalled. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Colorado Academy cut the deficit down to 49-47 at the start of the fourth quarter, but Kent Denver went on an 11-2 scoring run to pull away with the win. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Sherman was set to go on trial Tuesday, court records show. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 27 Feb. 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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably short for English dialect gooney simpleton

First Known Use

Noun

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of goon was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near goon

Cite this Entry

“Goon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goon. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

goon

1 of 2 noun
1
: a stupid person
2
: a person hired to terrorize or beat up or kill opponents : thug

go on

2 of 2 verb
1
a
: to continue on or as if on a journey
life goes on
b
: to keep on : continue
went on talking
2
: to take place : happen
what's going on
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."

More from Merriam-Webster on goon

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