boon
1 American
noun
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
-
close, special, or intimate (in the phrase boon companion )
-
archaic jolly or convivial
Other Word 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.
Autonomous trucking could be a boon for the freight industry, thanks to a combination of lower labor costs and less fuel waste.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
So in the short term, it could be a boon for the European-based circuit to have the likes of Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton competing regularly next year.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
This will be the first NFL game in Australia, a potential boon for a league eager to expand its global footprint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
The largely rural region is historically among the poorest in Thailand, but the discoveries are a boon to a fledgling dinosaur tourism industry in a country better known for its beaches and food.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
In many ways, the Green Revolution was a tremendous boon; harvests in many poor countries soared so fast that despite burgeoning populations the incidence of hunger fell dramatically.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
