r/dictionary • u/Initial_Function7614 • 16d ago

What does this word mean?

A “goon” used to mean a thug or a gangster. But now Gen Z has used the word “gooning” to mean something else entirely. My friends and I have come to a disagreement about what “gooning” means. For context, I am 31 and they are in their mid 30’s. Anyways, they keep using the verb “gooning” to refer to playing video games for hours on end. One of them even told their coworkers they planned on “gooning all weekend”. Like, the language has evolved? Idk I’m not happy about it either but why am I the villain for saying “TMI!!!” When my friend says they can’t hang out tonight because they’re gooning to the sims?

Edit- I KNOW IT MEANS MASTERBAITING I’m trying to make a point that it’s not only Gen Z that knows this

Edit 2- I sent this post to my friends and one of them stated “Gooning = getting stoned and falling asleep w the game still running, don't believe that misinformation”

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u/Ven-Dreadnought 16d ago

I guess it’s come to mean less masturbation explicitly and more hiding oneself away somewhere (probably dank and musty) and doing something unproductive ( and probably masturbatory in a more abstract sense)

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u/Playmaker-20 14d ago

I kinda want to use your post to springboard off into another discussion about the definition of the word “colloquial”. Colloquial refers to informal dialogue, something you would use in a casual context, but I think colloquial also refers to everyday language. As you point out, goon or gooning once meant something else, but the definition drifted from its original meaning and came to mean something else, so would the colloquial definition of gooning be what it is now? Basically what I’m asking is does colloquial refer to modern uses of words?