Definition

1. Noun:
   • A member of the baby boom generation: A person born during the period of significantly increased birth rates following World War II, typically from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s. This term often refers to the cultural and demographic cohort known as the "Baby Boomers."
   • (Australian, informal) A male kangaroo: In Australian English, this is a dated or informal term for a large, adult male kangaroo.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Demographic cohort):
  • My parents are boomers, born in 1955.
  • The retirement of the boomers is impacting the pension system.
• Noun (Australian fauna):
  • We saw an old boomer leading the mob across the plain.

Advanced Usage

• "Ok, Boomer": A contemporary, often dismissive or sarcastic phrase used (typically by younger people) to call out or reject the opinions, especially about modern social and political issues, of someone perceived to be an older, out-of-touch baby boomer.
  • When my dad complained about smartphones, my sister just said, "Ok, Boomer."
• "Baby Boomer": The full, more formal term for the generation. "Boomer" is its common abbreviation.
  • The economic policies were shaped by the voting power of the Baby Boomers.

Variants and Related Words

• Baby Boomer (n): The full term for a member of the post-WWII baby boom generation.
• Boomerang (n): A curved wooden tool that returns when thrown, originating in Australia. While related etymologically (from Indigenous Australian languages), it is a distinct object and word.
• Echo Boomer (n): A term sometimes used for the children of Baby Boomers; part of the Millennial generation.

Synonyms

• Baby Boomer: The direct synonym for the generational sense.
• (For the kangaroo sense): Buck, jackaroo (specifically for male kangaroos).

Related Phrases

• Boomer mentality: A phrase sometimes used to describe attitudes stereotypically associated with the baby boom generation, such as a strong work ethic, traditional values, or resistance to technological change.
  • The article discussed the clash between startup culture and boomer mentality.
• Silver tsunami: A metaphorical term referring to the wave of retirements from the large Baby Boomer generation and its impact on society and the economy.

Related Idioms

• "Like a boomer in headlights": A playful, modern adaptation of the idiom "like a deer in headlights," implying someone, particularly an older person, is confused or frozen by modern technology or situations.
  • He looked like a boomer in headlights when I asked him to set up the Wi-Fi.

Noun

1. a member of the baby boom generation in the 1950s
   • they expanded the schools for a generation of baby boomers