gone

American  

[gawn, gon] / gɔn, gɒn /

verb

1. past participle of go.

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adjective

1. departed; left.

2. lost or hopeless.

3. ruined.

4. that has passed away; dead.

5. past.

6. weak and faint.

   a gone feeling.

7. used up.

8. Slang.

   1. pregnant.

      two months gone.

   2. great; outstanding.

   3. exhilarated; inspired.

idioms

1. far gone,

   1. much advanced; deeply involved.

   2. nearly exhausted; almost worn out.

   3. dying.

      The rescue party finally reached the scene of the crash, but most of the survivors were already far gone.

2. gone on, infatuated with; in love with.

   He is still gone on the woman who jilted him.

gone British  

/ ɡɒn /

verb

1. the past participle of go 1

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adjective

1. ended; past

2. lost; ruined (esp in the phrases gone goose or gosling )

3. dead or near to death

4. spent; consumed; used up

5. informal faint or weak

6. informal having been pregnant (for a specified time)

   six months gone

7. slang (usually foll by on) in love (with)

8. slang in an exhilarated state, as through music or the use of drugs

9. informal blank and without comprehension, as if stupefied in surprise

adverb

1. past

   it's gone midnight

gone More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing gone

• a goner
• all gone
• dead and buried (gone)
• far gone
• going, going, gone
• here today, gone tomorrow
• to hell and gone

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Etymology

Origin of gone

First recorded in 1580–90, for the adjective

Explanation

Something that's gone isn't here anymore. If the sun is gone from the sky, it has set for the night and will rise again the next morning. Things and people that have departed are gone, and times that have passed by are gone. When there's nothing left, it's also gone: "Sorry you got here so late — all the pizza's gone!" You can also use the adjective gone to mean "died" or "passed away," as when your friend tearfully tells you that her beloved goldfish is gone. Gone is from the verb go, from the Old English gan, "to depart or go away."

Example Sentences

Europe’s central bankers now worry that those moves have gone too far, too fast, and have been trying to manage expectations accordingly in a difficult balancing act.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

It was an era of profound institutional confidence—and it is gone.

From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026

Hannah once said: “I know a dark alley is scary. But I’ll tell you, there’s no scarier place than a country road at night when the sky’s gone full dark and no stars.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

The boy's mother, Sara Hillman, told the BBC's US partner CBS she has been asking herself: "What if it could have gone a different way?"

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Earlier today, I asked Zara what she thought, and she told me that no guy would have gone to the trouble of tracking down my number to reschedule a date only to not show up.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam