loon
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
-
informal a simple-minded or stupid person
-
dialect a lad
-
archaic a person of low rank or occupation (esp in the phrase lord and loon )
noun
Etymology
Origin of loon1
First recorded in 1625–35; perhaps alteration of loom 3
Origin of loon2
1400–50; late Middle English lowen, perhaps < Old Norse lūinn worn, tired; later influenced by loon 1 and loony 1
Vocabulary lists containing loon
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.
“Thanks for reading” was the suggested reply to someone who called me a hopeless loon and another guy who wondered why anybody would read my “dumb column.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2026
In the season finale, Shane and Ilya steal away to Shane’s remote cottage on a lake north of Ottawa, where Ilya freaks out when he first hears the cry of a loon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
As for Foster, who first snagged my attention as the pathetic loon in “Alpha Dog,” he knows how to play a hiss-worthy heel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2025
Officials didn’t pick any of the most popular designs submitted online that included options like a loon — the state bird — with lasers for eyes.
From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2024
Then, spotting Harry and Ron: “Good even, my fine young yeomen! Come clap this loon in irons. He is trying to force entry to the chambers within!”
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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.
