noun
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a stupid or deliberately foolish person
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informal a thug hired to commit acts of violence or intimidation, esp in an industrial dispute
noun
Usage
What does goon mean? Don't be a goon! That is, don't be a "fool" or an "oaf."Hired muscle, gangsters, and tough-guy hockey players are often called goons, too.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of goon
First recorded in 1920–25; shortened from dialectal gooney, variant of obsolete gony “a simpleton” (of unknown origin); influenced by the comic-strip character Alice the Goon in the series Thimble Theatre by E. C. Segar (1894–1938), American cartoonist
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.
See Examples For:
Doubling Starlink subscriptions to 12 million from a year earlier pales in comparison with talk about life on Mars and social-media posts highlighting AI goon slop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Talking to AFP, he initially insisted: "I'm a goon, and I'm proud to say that."
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Private sector workers won the right to form unions and strike under the National Labor Relations Board, largely ending the union-busting and goon violence of decades past.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2025
Now there’s a ham-fisted goon in an ill-fitting valet attendant’s coat rummaging in broad daylight through all of the keys—all of that private information, previously given in trust, handled with care, and regulated by law.
From Slate ● Feb. 3, 2025
He stood there nose to nose with Dusty’s goon.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
Marius, 27, one of five goons who agreed to speak with AFP on condition that their names were changed, has been doing the job since he was 17.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
A black belt in taekwondo, the impressive Yanin sets the bar high in the opening scene, battling two goons who hoist her aloft in the splits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Standing in the way are Mr. Cabello’s die-hard goons, who are not the surrendering type.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 4, 2026
The "Gen Z" movement alleges, however, that paid goons had looted various buildings in order to undermine their cause.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2025
“I don’t think so. My dad’s here. He’s got goons with him. Half-men. I think he’s linked up with your swank uncle, Pyce.”
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
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.
