goner

American  

[gaw-ner, gon-er] / ˈgɔ nər, ˈgɒn ər /

noun

Informal.

1. a person or thing that is dead, lost, or past recovery.

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goner British  

/ ˈɡɒnə /

noun

1. slang a person or thing beyond help or recovery, esp a person who is dead or about to die

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Etymology

Origin of goner

First recorded in 1840–50; gone + -er ¹

Example Sentences

“And I’d be a goner if you hadn’t yelled at her and made her come at you,” George said.

From Literature

"The whole family basically thought I was a goner," he wrote.

From BBC

Then, just before 11am, as foreign office minister Stephen Doughty stood up in the Commons to answer an urgent question on Mandelson, my emails pinged - and Lord Mandelson was a goner.

From BBC

When a tree has 25 or more exit holes, it’s probably a goner, Durbin said.

From Los Angeles Times

And they have concluded the number, but not the policy itself, is an albatross around their neck - and so it is a goner.

From BBC

Related Words

• desperate
• forlorn
• helpless
• impossible
• pointless
• sad
• tragic
• useless