joning

1 of 2

noun

jon·​ing ˈjō-niŋ 

variants or joaning or less commonly jonin'

ˈjō-nən 

or joanin'

African American English slang

: a ritualized exchange of insults that are often about the other person's appearance or members of the other person's family

…You know it's … basically making fun of people or just basically joning.

—unidentified speaker, quoted in Corpus of Regional African American Language

The creator of the "Wild 'N Out" TV series, Cannon said he was inspired by shows like "In Living Color" and musical artist Def Jam, as well as "joaning" sessions with comedians like Katt Williams and Kevin Hart.

—Stacey Coles

As a source of inspiration for her book [You So Black], [Theresa] Wilson used the breadth of Black culture. She thought about "playing the dozens" or "jonin'," which usually comes from a caring individual in our lives. One of those making fun statements may eventually get to, "You so black …"

—Brenda C. Siler

compare the dozens, signifying entry 1

joning

2 of 2

present participle of jone

Word History

Etymology

Noun

jone + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1939, in the meaning defined above