jones

1 of 2

verb

jonesed; jonesing; joneses

intransitive verb

slang
: to have a strong desire or craving for something
he was jonesing for a drink

jones

2 of 2

noun

1
slang : an avid desire or appetite for something : craving
2
slang : habit, addiction
especially : addiction to heroin
3
slang : heroin

Examples of jones in a Sentence

Verb I'm really jonesing for a cup of coffee right now Noun that dude had a jones for heroin like you wouldn't believe I have a real jones for a milk shake.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
But who among us is not jonesing to skip town and ride the rails, hoping the light at the end of the tunnel is not an oncoming train? James Poniewozik, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2020 For those jonesing for their Orange Is the New Black fix, help has arrived. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Oct. 2019 Somehow, even the misty-eyed writers of Hallmark cards seem to have missed the beautiful and romantic literary potential of two married adults having extramarital affairs and jonesing to ditch their spouses and kids in order to be together. Ask Amy, al, 29 May 2019 Spring is barely here, and yet, people are already jonesing for summer, and with it, beach season. Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, 15 Apr. 2019 Tesla owners have been jonesing for this update for years, though the company describes the feature as a beta version. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 6 Nov. 2018 Any of these four jackets could save your skin Spring has me jonesing to get outside in warm weather again. Joe Jackson, Outside Online, 25 Apr. 2018 The Giants aren’t the only team that might be jonesing for Belichick. Peter King, SI.com, 5 Jan. 2018 Trump never stops jonesing for likes and retweets on Twitter as in life. Katy Waldman, Slate Magazine, 7 June 2017
Noun
The beltway media world has always had a sort of jones for celebrities, and celebrities have often loved them right back, a mutual appreciation society that reached its apogee during the correspondents’ dinners of the Obama years. New York Times, 1 May 2022 Kesha is indulging her jones for all things paranormal and unexplained in the upcoming discovery+ series Conjuring Kesha. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2021 That Jason Momoa has a jones for jeans should come as a surprise to absolutely no one. Adam Tschorn, latimes.com, 5 June 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jones.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

derivative of jones entry 2

Noun

of uncertain origin

Note: Presumably from the surname Jones, though the reason for the allusion, if there is any, is apparently unknown. The final s is comparable to the pseudo-plural s of diseases (measles, shingles) and unpleasant or uncontrollable conditions (hots, jitters, yips).

First Known Use

Verb

1981, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1962, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of jones was circa 1962

Dictionary Entries Near jones

Cite this Entry

“Jones.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jones. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Biographical Definition

Jones 1 of 5

biographical name (1)

Anson 1798–1858 president of the Republic of Texas (1844–46)

Jones

2 of 5

biographical name (2)

Howard Mumford 1892–1980 American educator and critic

Jones

3 of 5

biographical name (3)

In*i*go ˈi-ni-ˌgō How to pronounce Jones (audio) 1573–1652 English architect

Jones

4 of 5

biographical name (4)

John Paul 1747–1792 originally in full John Paul American (Scottish-born) naval officer

Jones

5 of 5

biographical name (5)

Quincy 1933–     American composer, bandleader, and producer
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