goon

• POS: Noun

OXFORD DICTIONARY

goon, n. sl.
1 a stupid or playful person.
2 esp. US a person hired by racketeers etc. to terrorize political or industrial opponents.

Etymology

perh. f. dial. gooney booby: infl. by the subhuman cartoon character 'Alice the Goon'

THESAURUS

goon

Mafioso, Young Turk, adherent, battler, beast, beldam, belligerent, belted knight, berserk, berserker, bickerer, blade, bomber, bravo, brawler, bruiser, brute, bully, bullyboy, combatant, competitor, contender, contestant, creature, demon, devil, disciple, disputant, dragon, duelist, dummy, enforcer, fencer, feuder, fiend, fighter, fighting cock, figurehead, fire-eater, firebrand, flunky, flying squadron, foilsman, follower, fury, gamecock, gillie, gladiator, goon squad, gorilla, gun, gunsel, hanger-on, hardnose, hatchet man, hell-raiser, hellcat, hellhound, hellion, henchman, holy terror, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, hothead, hotspur, incendiary, jackal, jouster, killer, knight, lackey, mad dog, madcap, man, militant, minion, monster, mug, mugger, muscle man, myrmidon, picket, plug-ugly, puppet, quarreler, rapist, revolutionary, rioter, rival, rodman, rough, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian, sabreur, satellite, savage, scrapper, scuffler, she-wolf, spitfire, squabbler, stooge, strong arm, strong-arm man, strong-armer, struggler, swashbuckler, sword, swordplayer, swordsman, sycophant, termagant, terror, terrorist, thug, tiger, tigress, tilter, torpedo, tough, tough guy, trigger man, tussler, ugly customer, violent, virago, vixen, votary, wild beast, witch, wolf, wrangler