boon
1 Americannoun
noun
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something extremely useful, helpful, or beneficial; a blessing or benefit
the car was a boon to him
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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 )
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archaic jolly or convivial
Other Word Forms
- boonless adjective
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”
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.
Nowak points to demand for Amazon’s cloud services as a boon for the company’s growth.
From Barron's
By contrast, sales of coconut water have been growing by double digits in percent terms in recent years, as Americans flock to healthier alternatives—a boon to industry leader Vita Coco.
From Barron's
So there’s no question that as a boon for public health, the arrangement has stood the test of time.
From Los Angeles Times
Last year represented something of a boon era for vendors pedaling AI apps.
“The elevated spending will likely be a boon for earnings across the S&P 500 as hyperscalers and beyond pay for the materials and industrial equipment associated with the data center buildout,” he said.
From Barron's
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.