Words & TermsPeople and character
hoon
Also: hooning, anti-hoon
A person who drives dangerously or antisocially.
In a sentence
A hoon tore away from the lights and woke the whole street.
Where it came from
Hoon had older Australian senses including lout or exhibitionist from the 1930s. The now-dominant reckless-driver sense emerged in the 1980s; the word’s ultimate origin is uncertain.
- Initial era
- 1950–1999
- Where used
- Australia-wide