n.
A member of a European military unit trained and armed to fight mounted or on foot.
tr.v., -gooned, -goon·ing, -goons.
- To subjugate or persecute by the imposition of troops.
- To compel by violent measures or threats; coerce.
[French dragon, carbine, dragoon, from Old French, dragon. See dragon.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
