goings-on

[ goh-ingz-on, awn ]

noun

, Informal.

1. conduct or behavior, especially when open to criticism:

   We had never seen such goings-on as at the last dance.

2. happenings; events:

   The American newspaper kept her in touch with the goings-on back home.

goings-on

plural noun

1. actions or conduct, esp when regarded with disapproval
2. happenings or events, esp when mysterious or suspicious

   there were strange goings-on up at the Hall

Word History and Origins

Origin of goings-on¹

First recorded in 1765–75; noun use of present participle phrase going on

Example Sentences

The public Trumpiness—which appears in opposition to his daughter’s politics—hasn’t stopped Germanotta from passionately hyping the goings-on at the drag bar restaurant.

From Slate

Comparisons to the hit television series “The Bear,” also about the behind-the-scenes goings-on at a restaurant, will be inevitable.

From Los Angeles Times

But after recent strange goings-on, there are some who believe the place is haunted.

From BBC

The goings-on inside the McCullough family home in Great Baddow near Chelmsford, Essex, were becoming increasingly secretive in 2019.

From BBC

Something is genuinely off about the goings-on at the conference, from strange deaths and elevators that suddenly aren’t elevators, to a rash of scabby infections afflicting guests and the discovery of a subterranean tunnel.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• action
• activity
• affair
• agreement
• bond
• business
• buying
• contract
• deal
• enterprise
• matter
• negotiation
• purchase
• sale
• selling