goon
n. countablen. a person who is hired to threaten or hurt others. It can also mean someone who acts in a silly or stupid way.
n. a person hired to intimidate or harm others, often acting as a low-level enforcer for a criminal or organization. In modern slang, it can also refer to a foolish or eccentric person.
The boss sent a goon to collect the money.
The politician was surrounded by goons who prevented the reporters from asking any difficult questions.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeǵʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-ōm Proto-Indo-European *dʰéǵʰōm Proto-Indo-European *-ō Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰmṓ Proto-Germanic *gumô Proto-West Germanic *gumō Old English guma Middle English gone? English gooney English goon Shortened from gooney, from obsolete gony (“simpleton”), used circa 1580, of unknown origin. Perhaps a familiar term derived from Middle English gone, a variant of gome (“man, person”). Gony was applied by sailors to the albatross and similar big, clumsy birds (circa 1839). The term goon first carried the meaning "stupid person" (circa 1921). Compare Scots goni, guni (“a bogey, bugbear, hobgoblin”), dialectal Swedish gonnar (“elves, goblins”, plural). * Etymology 1 sense 1 ("hired thug"; circa 1938) is largely influenced by the comic strip character Alice the Goon from the Popeye series. * Etymology 1 sense 3 ("fool") was reinforced by the popular radio program, The Goon Show, starring Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers. * Etymology 1 sense 5 ("guard") was influenced by both etymology 1 sense 1 and etymology 1 sense 3, though not by The Goon Show reference, which arose about 10 years after WWII.
Possibly derived from etymology 1, from etymology 1 sense 3 ("a fool; a stupid person"), or from etymology 1 sense 1 ("a thug").
Perhaps diminutive slang for flagon or from Aboriginal English goom.
Borrowed from Japanese 呉音 (goon).
Often used in a derogatory or humorous way depending on the context of violence versus silliness.