Boomer Named a Kangaroo Before It Named a Generation
A boomer is someone born in the post-war baby boom. In Australia the same word means a large male kangaroo.
A boomer usually means someone born during the post-war baby boom, roughly 1946 to 1964. Australia got there first with a different animal: *boomer* has meant a large adult male kangaroo since the nineteenth century. The generational sense arrived in the 1970s, and the word acquired an edge in the late 2010s that the kangaroo never had.
- A person born in the baby boom. *Boomers and millennials.*
- A large male kangaroo (Australian). *A big red boomer.*
- Something that booms. *A sonic boomer.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | boomer | A retired boomer. |
| Plural | boomers | Baby boomers. |
| Full form | baby boomer | The baby boomer generation. |
| Verb | boom | Business is booming. |
| Related | bust | The boom and bust cycle. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Boomers are now largely retired.Demographics.
- A boomer bounded across the road.Australian: a big male kangaroo.
- The housing boom peaked that year.Economics.
Generation labels
- Silent Generation — born roughly 1928 to 1945
- Baby Boomers — roughly 1946 to 1964
- Generation X — roughly 1965 to 1980
- Millennials — roughly 1981 to 1996
- Generation Z — roughly 1997 to 2012
From *boom*, an imitative word for a deep resonant sound, extended to sudden growth. *Baby boom* describes the sharp post-war rise in births.
Which years count as boomer?
Most definitions use 1946 to 1964, following the sharp rise and fall in birth rates after the Second World War.
Why does *boomer* mean a kangaroo?
Australian English has used it for a large male kangaroo since the 1830s, long before the generational sense existed.