goings-on

/ˌɡəʊɪŋz ˈɒn/ (bre, ipa) · [ɡˈoɪŋzˈɑn] /ˌɡəʊɪŋz ˈɑːn/ (ame, ipa)

goings-on — noun

1. The events, activities, or happenings that take place in a particular place or s

1.名詞B1
釋義

The events, activities, or happenings that take place in a particular place or situation, without any special judgement about them.

例句

Mia posted a short video of the goings-on at the school book fair.

goings-on at + [place]

The neighbours watched the goings-on in the street from their kitchen window.

同義詞
  • events

    more neutral and general; does not imply continuous activity the way 'goings-on' does

  • happenings

    very close in meaning, slightly informal but less common than 'goings-on'

  • activities

    focuses on things people do rather than events that occur

文法句型

always used as plural noun

用法筆記

Always used in the plural form — there is no singular 'going-on'. Subject of a sentence takes a plural verb.

常見錯誤

❌The going-on was very interesting.
✅The goings-on were very interesting.
💡'goings-on' is always plural and takes a plural verb.

2. Events or activities that seem strange, unusual, or surprising, and that people

2.名詞B2
釋義

Events or activities that seem strange, unusual, or surprising, and that people often talk about or find noteworthy.

例句

The detective was called to investigate the strange goings-on at the old warehouse.

strange goings-on at + [place]

Selim told his friends about the unusual goings-on he noticed at the night market.

同義詞
  • strange events

    more literal and explicit; less idiomatic than 'goings-on'

  • odd happenings

    similar register, slightly less natural in everyday speech

文法句型

always used as plural noun

用法筆記

Often paired with adjectives like 'strange', 'mysterious', 'unusual', 'odd', or 'funny' that signal something out of the ordinary.

常見錯誤

❌There were many goings-on at the party' (when meaning ordinary party events).
✅There were some strange goings-on at the party' (when something unusual happened).
💡Without a modifier like 'strange' or 'unusual', the meaning is more neutral.

3. Actions or behaviour that are dishonest, secret, morally wrong, or against the r

3.名詞C1
釋義

Actions or behaviour that are dishonest, secret, morally wrong, or against the rules, often carried out by a group of people.

例句

An official report revealed the dishonest goings-on inside the charity organisation.

dishonest goings-on inside + [organisation]

The manager was fired after the secret goings-on in the finance department came to light.

同義詞
  • wrongdoing

    more formal and direct; a single-word noun with a stronger moral judgement

  • misconduct

    formal term for bad behaviour in a professional or official role

  • skulduggery

    informal, slightly humorous word for dishonest behaviour

反義詞

文法句型

always used as plural noun

用法筆記

Strongly disapproving in tone. Unlike sense 2, the strangeness comes from wrongdoing rather than mystery. Common in news reports about corruption.

常見錯誤

❌The goings-on in the office were just normal work.
✅The dishonest goings-on in the office shocked everyone.
💡Do not use this sense for ordinary or neutral events; it only works for things that are wrong or secret.