Quonset means: A prefabricated building having a roof of corrugated iron and semicircular cross section.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
Quonset
(US, also, attributive) A prefabricated building having a roof of corrugated iron and semicircular cross section.
Definitions
#1·Apr 27, 2026
(US, also, attributive) A prefabricated building having a roof of corrugated iron and semicircular cross section.
Besides the wind, sand, tumbleweed, and Joshua trees, there was nothing at Muroc except for two quonset-style hangars, side by side, a couple of gasoline pumps, a single concrete runway, a few tarpaper shacks, and some tents.
Origin: Named after Quonset Point, the place they were manufactured; the placename derives from an language. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
Quonset means: A prefabricated building having a roof of corrugated iron and semicircular cross section.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
Quonset means: A prefabricated building having a roof of corrugated iron and semicircular cross section.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: general
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
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(UK, Irish) A prefabricated building, formerly used by the military, having a semicircular roof of corrugated iron.
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A prefabricated building.
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A prefabricated section of a building.
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(US) A similar building in which metal poles are used instead of timbers.
- prefab54%
Short for prefabricated — describing buildings or building sections manufactured off-site in standard sections and assembled on location. After World War II, thousands of prefab homes were built in Britain to address the housing shortage, giving the word strong working-class associations. In gaming contexts, prefab refers to a reusable pre-built object or template.