1
as in idiots
a stupid person
an unfortunate tendency to call those who disagree with him "brainless goons"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the crime boss threatened to send the goons after him if he squealed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of goons
But when Theo decides to sell to Dwight instead, Dunmire's goons kill the old man by setting his home ablaze.
—
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Nov. 2025
The catch is that he’s being stalked by McCone (Lee Pace), a hunter with an impeccable catch-and-kill record, and his psychopathic goons.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025
Our heavily armored alien menace starts taking out drug cartel goons and making a mess, and a couple of cops (Danny Glover and Bill Paxton) plus an unhinged DEA agent (Gary Busey) are on the case to investigate.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 Nov. 2025
Even the combative Venezuela of eight years ago, where kids with homemade shields assembled in the streets day after day to battle the dictatorship’s goons, is a fading memory.
—Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
The two men do eventually join forces, however, once Dante’s goons cross an unforgivable line.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Sunyata is the bougie, cultish wellness retreat Lee suggests for Betty Jo’s hideaway — a place where Donald Washberg and his goons on the police force can’t find her.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
Sometimes his quest for the truth takes the shape of a prototypical thriller—rendezvous at dive bars, threats issued by shadowy goons in parking lots.
—Judy Berman, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Goodie looks around for two seconds and clocks that Cole and his goons are running a scam.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goons
Noun
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Can't believe that after 10 years of us basing our most damning investigations on cell phone data, these idiots are still doing it.—
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That's the deterrent for the idiots.—
Noun
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Even the Democrat hacks at Massport understood the insanity of dumping hundreds more of these thugs into one of the few functioning hubs of commercial activity left in New England.—
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Of course, Sarah and her mom continue to believe that God is on their side, even after the family home is attacked by oil company thugs and a reliable ally winds up on the wrong end of a shotgun.—
Noun
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Overwhelmingly, though, the most common response was to seek confirmation of their suspicions that Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were morons.—
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There are worse things than watching Black, Rudd, and Zahn play three gormless morons on a mid-life misadventure, but almost every scene and setpiece is constructed with a haphazardness that blunders away their charm.—
Noun
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The first thing to do is to reduce the damage to the United States, the inflow of guns and criminals and immigrants and drugs into the United States, the destabilizing of a key part of the Western Hemisphere.—
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Also, place freezes with ChexSystems and the National Consumer Telecom and Utilities Exchange to stop criminals from opening bank accounts, phone lines, or utility services in his name.—
Noun
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The lunatics who attacked the seat of government to try to change the outcome of a free and fair election are not patriots.—
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Parents know these woke lunatics are bullies.—
Noun
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The gangsters grew powerful running liquor during Prohibition.—
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Beset by gangs and guns, the Haçienda faltered in the ’90s despite clever-sounding schemes such as replacing the club’s security with the gangsters themselves.—
Noun
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Sorkin finds no heroes but also no villains.—
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There’s also a massive leg lumbering in the distance which could be a Sentinel, the gigantic, mutant-hunting robots that are some of X-Men’s most iconic villains.—
Noun
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The robbery lasted less than seven minutes, as the bandits used a truck with an extendable ladder to cut through a window on a second-floor balcony, according to police.—
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In return, a lord provided his peasants with protection from bandits or invaders.—
Cite this Entry
“Goons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goons. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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