Meaning & use
goon
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableinformaldisapproving
A violent person hired or used to frighten or hurt people on behalf of someone else.
Grammar: Usually plural in news stories: the boss's goons.
Patterns
- hired goons
- a goon for someone
The landlord sent two goons to scare the tenants into leaving.
Union leaders accused the company of using goons to break up the strike.
In the film, the mob boss's goons wait outside the club.
nouncountableinformalhumorous
A foolish or clumsy person, often used in a joking way.
Grammar: Mild and playful, mainly among friends or in older comedy.
Patterns
- a silly goon
Stop acting like a goon and help me carry this.
My brother is a lovable goon who trips over everything.
The old radio comedy was full of goons and funny voices.
nouncountablesportslang
In ice hockey, a player who is mainly used to fight and intimidate opponents rather than to score.
Grammar: Sports slang, sometimes called an enforcer.
Patterns
- the team's goon
The coach kept a goon on the roster to protect the star player.
Fans argued whether goons belong in modern hockey.
The goon dropped his gloves after the hit.
Word forms
| plural | goons |
|---|
Common combinations
- hired goon
- A hired goon waited in the parking lot.
- the boss's goons
- The boss's goons smashed the shop windows.
- goon squad
- A goon squad of thugs was sent to threaten the witness.
- act like a goon
- He tends to act like a goon when his friends are around.
- political goons
- The dissident was followed by political goons.
Synonyms and how they differ
- thug
- Thug is a stronger, more serious word for a violent criminal, while goon often implies someone hired by another.
- heavy
- Heavy is British slang for a tough man used to frighten others, and is less dismissive than goon.
- henchman
- Henchman stresses loyal service to a powerful or evil leader, so it fits stories and villains.
- fool
- Fool is a general word for a silly person, while goon in its humorous sense also suggests clumsiness.
Word family
- goonish adjective
- like a goon; thuggish or foolish
- goon squad noun
- a group of enforcers hired to intimidate people
Commonly confused: goon or goof?
goon vs goof
A goof is a silly mistake or a silly person, while a goon is violent or in some uses clumsy.
Practice
The shop owner said that two ______ hired by a rival had threatened him.
Choose one answer.
Goons are hired bullies who threaten people. The other words are neutral or positive and do not fit threatening someone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “goon”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.