Gone means no longer present or available. When something is gone, it has disappeared, been used up, or moved away. The cookies you baked might be gone by dinnertime because your family ate them all. A friend who moved to another state is gone from your neighborhood. Summer vacation feels gone too quickly when school starts again.

The word often carries a sense of finality or loss. When you search everywhere for your favorite pen and realize it's truly gone, you feel that sinking recognition that you won't find it. Money spent is gone from your wallet. A broken glass is gone for good, even if you sweep up the pieces.

People use gone in many expressions. Someone might be long gone (departed a while ago) or gone for good (never coming back). You might say someone is gone fishing when they've left to fish, or that they've gone crazy if they're acting wild. When something vanishes instantly, it's here one minute, gone the next. The word captures that moment when you realize something you once had simply isn't there anymore.