Coon Definition & Meaning

American

British

Sensitive Note

Usage

Etymology

coon American [koon] / kun /

noun

1. Informal. raccoon.

2. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.

3. Informal. a fellow, especially a rustic or undignified person.

   Go home, you old coon!

coon British / kuːn /

noun

1. informal short for raccoon

2. offensive a Black person or a native Australian

3. offensive a person of mixed race

"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

Sensitive Note

See coon's age.

Usage

What does coon mean? Content warning: this article includes content dealing with racism.Coon is an extremely offensive slur for a Black person. It’s rooted in the racist history of Blackface and comes from a shortening of raccoon.

Etymology

Origin of coon

An Americanism dating back to 1735–45; shortening of raccoon ( def. )

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.