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Synonyms

goings-on

American  
[goh-ingz-on, awn] / ˈgoʊ ɪŋzˈɒn, ˈɔn /

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 British  

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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of goings-on

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

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.