boomer
boomer Lexical Profile
boomer Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A member of the baby boom generation, typically defined as someone born between the end of World War II and the mid-1960s.
"As millions of boomers reach retirement age, the healthcare system faces increasing demand."
Australian A large adult male kangaroo, especially of the eastern grey or red kangaroo species native to Australia.
"We spotted a massive boomer bounding across the dusty outback plain at dusk."
American A nineteen-century settler who agitated for or rushed to claim newly opened public lands, especially in Oklahoma, or an itinerant worker who moved from one boomtown to another.
"Railroad boomers traveled across the western states following the construction of new tracks."
American A nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine designed to serve as a strategic deterrent (in naval slang).
"The veteran submariner spent six months submerged aboard a boomer patrolling the Atlantic."
North American The mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa), a primitive burrowing rodent native to the moist forests of the Pacific Northwest, or the American red squirrel in Southern Appalachian dialect.
"Hikers in the Olympic Mountains occasionally spot the burrow entrances of a boomer along shaded stream banks."
Word Nuance & Usage
While originally a neutral demographic term shortened from "baby boomer," in contemporary internet slang it is frequently used dismissively (as in "OK boomer") toward any older person perceived as out of touch, regardless of their actual birth year.
• Rhymes for boomer
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed from the verb "boom" plus the agentive suffix "-er"; the demographic sense arose in the late 20th century as a clipping of "baby boomer," referring to the post-World War II surge in birth rates.