Showing definitions for goon

SEE ALSO

Slang dictionary results for goon

goon

American  

[goon] / gun /

noun

1. Informal. a hired hoodlum or thug.

2. Slang.

   1. a stupid, foolish, or awkward person.

   2. a rough, coarse person; roughneck.

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goon ¹ British  

/ ɡuːn /

noun

1. a stupid or deliberately foolish person

2. informal a thug hired to commit acts of violence or intimidation, esp in an industrial dispute

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goon ² British  

noun

1. informal cheap wine packaged in casks or boxed

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Usage

What does goon mean? Don't be a goon! That is, don't be a "fool" or an "oaf."Hired muscle, gangsters, and tough-guy hockey players are often called goons, too.

Etymology

Origin of goon

First recorded in 1920–25; shortened from dialectal gooney, variant of obsolete gony “a simpleton” (of unknown origin); influenced by the comic-strip character Alice the Goon in the series Thimble Theatre by E. C. Segar (1894–1938), American cartoonist

Example Sentences

Here he is as arresting theorizing about the origins of “The Goon Show,” which he traces to the trauma of World War II, as he is contemplating the quality of Liza Minnelli’s eyelashes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

The final version of the coin, which the lieutenant gave to the deputies as Christmas gifts in 2022, pictured cartoonish gangsters and said “Lt. Middleton’s Goon Squad.”

From New York Times • May 29, 2024

But Bourgeois is also intrigued by the mysterious Global Goon, aka Johnny Hawk - once falsely rumoured to be Aphex Twin, and now listed as his former roommate on Spotify.

From BBC • May 23, 2024

One of my most fun things I really enjoyed imagining was him explaining to young Diana, the teenage girl, why Prince Charles was so obsessed with this completely old-fashioned comedy series called "The Goon Show."

From Salon • Sep. 6, 2023

Then Goon and the Garden Disciple slap palms with each other.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

Related Words

• hooligan
• thug