boon
1 Americannoun
noun
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something extremely useful, helpful, or beneficial; a blessing or benefit
the car was a boon to him
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archaic a favour; request
he asked a boon of the king
adjective
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close, special, or intimate (in the phrase boon companion )
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archaic jolly or convivial
Other Word Forms
- boonless adjective
Etymology
Origin of boon1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English bon(e) “praying, a prayer, favor asked for,” from Old Norse bōn “prayer, request, petition”; cognate with Old English bēn
Origin of boon2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bon(e), boun “good, goodly,” from Old French, from Latin bonus “good, expert”
Origin of boon3
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (north) bun(n)e, bone “reed, stem, husk (of flax)”; compare Old English bune “reed; drinking cup”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Meanwhile, March Madness has been a boon for the prediction markets.
From Barron's
Global conflict is usually a boon to defense contractors, and overall, 2026 has seen large gains for weapons makers.
From Barron's
The conflict hasn’t been a boon to the sector.
From Barron's
A swift end to the conflict would almost certainly be a boon for Bitcoin.
From Barron's
Arm also expects its shift from selling intellectual property to actually designing and selling chips to be a major financial boon for the company.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.