What does "hoon" mean?
A worthless person; a hooligan or lout.
Hoon
/huːn/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A worthless person; a hooligan or lout.
- Grammar: hoon is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: pimp.
- Usage evidence: The police are having a blitz on drink driving, hooliganism and hoon driving this weekend.
How to use "hoon"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hoon" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hoon" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hoon" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hoon" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hoon" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "pimp" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A worthless person; a hooligan or lout. Australia, New-Zealand, derogatory, slang
"'You flash hoon,' he went on, 'Kiddin' you're white, eh?[…].'"
- 2 A unit of weight (about 0.378125 of a gram, or 0.0133 of an ounce) used to measure opium in British-controlled parts of Asia; a candareen. historical
"This abovementioned Chandoo or prepared opium for smoking is retailed by them [the East India Company] at 5 pice per hoon, equal to 8000 Spanish dollars per chest, and on the opposite or Queda shore the hoon is sold at 6 pice or 9,600 dollars, […]"
- 3 A pagoda, a type of gold coin. India, historical
"The plaintiff in his plaint states, that the first and second defendants' elder brother, Soobbiya Shetty, on the 8th Ashweeja Bahoola of the year Veya, mortgaged to him, for 2½ hoons, his two slaves, viz. a female Dher, named Honnoo, and a male Pardeshey, together with their offspring, and made them over to him; that while they were in his possession, Soobba Shetty died, and the first and the second defendants succeeding to his (Soobba Shetty's) property, they further executed a document to him for hoons 4-8-12, on account of a balance against themselves of rice, &c., making a total mortgage on the slaves of hoons 7-3-12."
- 4 A pimp. Australia, dated, slang
"When the girls were sick, the hoons would beat the shit out of them and put them back on the street."
- 5 A person who drives excessively quickly, loudly or irresponsibly; a street drag racer often driving heavily customized cars. Australia, New-Zealand, slang
"Police have impounded an average of 10 cars a day since hoon laws were introduced by the State Government in June 2006. Hoon related offences include burnouts, doughnuts, drag racing, repeated driving while disqualified and high-level speeding. Offences are detailed in section 84C of the Road Safety Act 1986."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 An attempt or go at something. Australia, New-Zealand, slang
"The stars of Happytime Murders give Kiwi slang a hoon"
Verb
- 1 To drive excessively quickly, loudly or irresponsibly. Australia, New-Zealand, especially
"[…] you've hooned off – it's fair to say hooned off – at quite a high speed."
- 2 To make a hooting or howling sound.
"All this time, every night, and sometimes most of each night, the hooning whistling of the Room was intolerable. It was as if an intelligence there knew that steps were being taken against it, and piped and hooned in a sort of mad, mocking contempt."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from Dutch. countable, uncountable
- 2 A civil parish (without a council) in South Derbyshire district, Derbyshire, England (OS grid ref SK2231). countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The police are having a blitz on drink driving, hooliganism and hoon driving this weekend."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hoon"?
Common synonyms include: pimp.
How do you use "hoon" in a sentence?
The police are having a blitz on drink driving, hooliganism and hoon driving this weekend.
How do you pronounce "hoon"?
Pronounced /huːn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Uncertain; used initially as a general term of abuse. It first appeared in print in Capricornia (1938) by Australian writer Xavier Herbert (1901–1984); in a 1941 letter Herbert stated he had heard the term in his youth.
Etymology 2
Unknown; perhaps imitative.
Etymology 3
Borrowed from Hokkien 分 (hun). Doublet of fen and fan.
Etymology 4
Borrowed from Hindi हून (hūn, “pagoda, a gold coin of Southern India”), from Sanskrit हून (hūna, “a kind of gold coin from a particular kingdom”).
Etymology 5
From the Dutch surname de Hoon, from Middle Dutch hoon (“dangerous”), from Old Dutch *honi (“despicable”).