jones
jones Lexical Profile
jones Game Scores & Validity
• verb
American To have a strong desire, craving, or yearning for something.
"Halfway through the hiking trip, everyone was absolutely jonesing for a hot shower."
• noun
American An intense craving, desire, or addiction for something.
"After working late for three nights in a row, she had a serious jones for a large cup of coffee."
American A severe physical dependency on or withdrawal from a narcotic drug, especially heroin.
"The documentary vividly captured the struggles of patients fighting a heroin jones."
Word Nuance & Usage
While originally used in the mid-20th century to describe a severe drug addiction or withdrawal, 'jones' is now overwhelmingly used in colloquial contexts to express a strong, often harmless craving for everyday things like food or entertainment.
• Rhymes for jones
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the common Welsh and English surname 'Jones'. It emerged in 1960s African American vernacular, originally referring to an intense addiction to or withdrawal from heroin, before generalizing to denote any strong craving.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.