coon

American  

[koon] / kun /

noun

1. Informal. raccoon.

2. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.

3. Informal. a fellow, especially a rustic or undignified person.

   Go home, you old coon!

---

coon British  

/ kuːn /

noun

1. informal short for raccoon

2. offensive a Black person or a native Australian

3. offensive a person of mixed race

---

Sensitive Note

See coon's age.

Usage

What does coon mean? Content warning: this article includes content dealing with racism. Coon is an extremely offensive slur for a Black person. It’s rooted in the racist history of Blackface and comes from a shortening of raccoon.

Etymology

Origin of coon

An Americanism dating back to 1735–45; shortening of raccoon ( def. )

Example Sentences

The worker told investigators that the Maine coon cat would often roll in those clothes, something the second cat never did.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2025

The costliest felines to insure were the Maine coon, one of the largest house cats, which can be prone to a type of muscle atrophy, and the chinchilla, a popular longhair, Spot Pet Insurance said.

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2024

Zilberman said she assumed the damage was from Gallagher’s Maine coon cat, Sveater.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 24, 2023

Famed Twitter Maine coon Lorenzo the Cat shared the story of Aleksandra Polischuk, a breeder of sphinx cats who was killed when her home was destroyed.

From Slate • Mar. 2, 2022

He told how some strange varmint that wasn’t a coyote, possum, skunk, or coon had recently started robbing the settlement blind.

From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson