jones

1 of 2

verb

ˈjōnz 

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

Synonyms

Verb

• ache (for)
• covet
• crave
• desiderate
• desire
• die (for)
• hanker (for or after)
• hunger (for)
• itch (for)
• long (for)
• lust (for or after)
• pant (after)
• pine (for)
• repine (for)
• salivate (for)
• sigh (for)
• thirst (for)
• want
• wish (for)
• yearn (for)
• yen (for)

Noun

• addiction
• dependence
• dependance
• habit
• monkey

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

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

Biographical Definition

Jones 1 of 5

biographical name (1)

ˈjōnz 

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  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 1933–2024 American composer, bandleader, and producer