boon
1 Americannoun
noun
-
something extremely useful, helpful, or beneficial; a blessing or benefit
the car was a boon to him
-
archaic a favour; request
he asked a boon of the king
adjective
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close, special, or intimate (in the phrase boon companion )
-
archaic jolly or convivial
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of boon1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English bon(e) “praying, a prayer, favor asked for,” from Old Norse bōn “prayer, request, petition”; cognate with Old English bēn
Origin of boon2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bon(e), boun “good, goodly,” from Old French, from Latin bonus “good, expert”
Origin of boon3
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (north) bun(n)e, bone “reed, stem, husk (of flax)”; compare Old English bune “reed; drinking cup”
Explanation
Boon means something beneficial to a specific person, entity, or cause. "Getting called out of school on the day of the test was a boon for Sam, as he hadn't remembered to study." Boon derives from the Old Norse bón, a request for a favor. Think of a boon as a favor that no one has necessarily asked for, something extra. "We'd just spent our last dollar on a cup of coffee so it was a real boon to find a ten dollar bill lying on the sidewalk." Boon can also be an adjective for someone friendly and welcoming, as in "a boon companion."
Vocabulary lists containing boon
100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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Mythology
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Boon accused the gangs of keeping local populations in a state of "modern-day slavery" and said strong political will would be required to dislodge them.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
Boon had been on a long weekend hen do in Milan with five others before her airport ordeal.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
The wiry Boon doles out his brash character’s reserves of vulnerability to stunning effect — Tommy is a difficult part and Boon knows how to make it revealing and suspenseful.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
To achieve this, Boon and co-author Eva-Maria Strauch, PhD, an associate professor of medicine with expertise in antivirals and protein design, selected proteins from H5N1 strains known to infect humans.
From Science Daily • Feb. 4, 2026
Now that I can’t come to the Shirley Boon meetings anymore, that’s pretty much all I’ve got.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
