Word Study
goon
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.
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, wranglerFor further exploring for "goon" in Webster Dictionary Online