gone

SayGAWN/ɡɔn/AUS/ɡɔːn/UKGON/ɡɒn/

Adjectivefurther gone, farther gone, goner, furthest gone, farthest gone, gonest

15 meanings of gone

Practice

1
went (with have)verb
Past participle of go. Use it after has, have or had.
She has gone to the store already.
They had gone home before the rain started.
UsageSay she has gone home (not ~~incorrect: has went~~). Has been to a place means you visited and came back.
2
vanishedadjective
Not here any more, because it has left or does not exist now.
Like a seat at the table after someone has stood up and walked away.
By the time the police arrived, the suspect was already gone.
She turned around and saw that the dog was gone from the yard.
UsageOften already gone or long gone: the dog was gone.
Similarabsent
3
none leftadjective
All used up, with none left.
Like a bag of chips after everyone has finished it: empty.
By Friday all the milk in the fridge was gone.
The last of the firewood is gone, so we'll be cold tonight.
UsageSay the milk is all gone.
Similarspent, exhausted, depleted, finished
4
adjective
A gentle way of saying that someone has died.
Like a candle that has burned all the way down.
She held his hand at the very end, and within minutes he was gone.
By the time the ambulance arrived, the old man was already gone.
UsageA kind way to say someone died: he is gone.
Similardeparted, dead
Oppositealive, living
Note

Less common meanings

5
adjective
Sure to fail or be lost, with no way to escape.
Like a sandcastle when a big wave is rolling in: there's no saving it.
Once the engine caught fire, the small plane was gone.
If the bank calls in the loan now, the whole company is gone.
Similardoomed, lost, finished, hopeless
6
adjectivecolloquial
Not fully aware of what is around you, often because of drink or illness.
Like a phone that has frozen: the screen is on but nothing responds.
Two drinks in, she was already gone and laughing at nothing.
Grandpa is mostly gone these days and rarely knows where he is.
Similarwasted, vacant, woozy
7
broken downadjective
Broken and no longer working.
The radio's speaker is gone, so all you hear is a buzz.
The brakes were gone, and the truck rolled into the ditch.
Similardead, broken, shot, kaput
8
time so faradjective
Used after a length of time to show how far along something is, especially a pregnancy.
She was five months gone by the time the wedding came around.
Two hours gone, and the jury still had not reached a verdict.
UsageThe time comes first: five months gone.
9
after (clock time)prepositioncolloquialBritish
After a certain time on the clock.
Like glancing at the clock and seeing the hour has already slipped by.
It's gone midnight and the kids are still wide awake.
By the time we got home it was gone ten.
UsageIt's gone ten means it is after ten, often later than it should be.
Similarpast, after
10
in loveadjectiveslang
Very much in love with someone.
Like a fan who can't stop thinking about their favorite singer.
He's completely gone on the new girl in his class.
She was so gone on him that she ignored every warning.
UsageSay she is gone on him.
Similarsweet, stuck, smitten, infatuated, besotted
Note
11
going tocontractioncolloquialcontraction
Alternative spelling of gon /gon'. A nonstandard way of writing "going to" as it sounds in very casual speech.
I'm gone call you the moment I land.
We gone be late if you don't hurry up.
UsageUsed before a verb, like going to: gone be late.
Note
12
adjectivearchaic
Used after a length of time to mean that long ago.
Six nights gone, your brother fell upon my uncle Stafford, encamped with his host at a village called Oxcross not three days ride from Casterly Rock.
1999, George R.R. Martin, A Clash of KingsHere, gone means ago, so six nights gone means six nights ago.
Note
13
faintadjectiveUS
Feeling weak and faint, with an empty feeling inside.
Like a balloon slowly losing its air.
By noon, with no breakfast, I had a gone feeling in my stomach.
The bad news left her with a gone feeling inside.
Similarfaint, weak, hollow
Note
14
excellentadjectivedatedUS
Really great or wonderful.
Like the best song you've ever turned up loud.
That trumpet player is real gone, the best I've heard in years.
Dad, I want to be a jock. All a jock needs is some hep patter and a real gone image. Now, they just don't teach that jazz in college.
1975, Garry Marshall et al., “Richie's Flip Side”Here, gone means really great or cool.
Similarcool, wild, crazy, wonderful
Note
15
adjectivearchaic
Used about a shot arrow that is going far past or wide of the target.

gone is a form of go

go, verb: To move from one place to another. Full entry

Forms: gogoes he/she/itgoing -ing formwent past tensegone past participle
Spelling: go → gone: irregular (no -ed)

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of gone apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

This is the old past participle of the verb "go." It comes from Old English gān and older Proto-Germanic roots.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Gone continues an old past participle of go. en.wiktionary.org
Gone derives from Old English gān and ultimately Proto-Germanic. en.wiktionary.org