goon

[goon]

noun

1. Informal.,  a hired hoodlum or thug.

2. Slang.

   1. a stupid, foolish, or awkward person.

   2. a rough, coarse person; roughneck.

goon

¹

/ ɡuːn /

noun

1. a stupid or deliberately foolish person

2. informal,  a thug hired to commit acts of violence or intimidation, esp in an industrial dispute

goon

²

noun

1. informal,  cheap wine packaged in casks or boxed

Word History and Origins

Origin of goon¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of goon¹

C20: partly from dialect gooney fool, partly after the character Alice the Goon, created by E. C. Segar (1894–1938), American cartoonist

Example Sentences

But every time his migra goons tackle innocents, another Latino will turn on him and get ready to fight back.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When goons broke up an independent labor rally, he reports, a naval intelligence officer enthused to the gangster boss Meyer Lansky, “Gee, you did a swell job.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Maduro’s goons issued a warrant for her arrest, and she has since been in hiding.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It is composed of Latinos, a Black college-bound overachiever, a barely literate country boy and an aggressive goon who chose the Marines over a prison sentence.

Read more on Salon

Human-right groups accuse the government of hiring provocateurs—known locally as goons—to infiltrate protests and discredit demonstrators to justify the violent reaction.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• hooligan 
• thug 

When To Use

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.