Boomerasking
What does Boomerasking mean?
Boomerasking is asking someone a question mainly so you can answer it yourself, turning the conversation back to your own story, brag, or complaint.
Boomerasking used in a sentence
“He asked what everyone did over the weekend, waited two seconds, and then boomerasked his way into a twenty-minute story about his new car.”
This example shows the term in context rather than treating the definition as a literal word-for-word substitution. Slang often depends on tone, audience, and the conversation around it.
How do you use Boomerasking?
The term describes a familiar conversational habit: the question looks generous, but it mostly sets up the asker's own answer. Researchers describe forms such as asking in order to brag, to complain, or simply to share. Listeners tend to read boomerasking as self-centered, even when the asker thinks it builds connection.
Where did Boomerasking come from?
Researchers Alison Wood Brooks of Harvard Business School and Michael Yeomans of Imperial College London introduced the term in a 2024 paper, 'Boomerasking: Answering your own questions,' in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Their studies found that listeners judged boomeraskers as insincere and preferred conversation partners who simply shared their own news.
Common variations of Boomerasking
boomerask
The verb form, meaning to ask a question in order to answer it yourself.
ask-bragging
A form of boomerasking used to set up a brag.
ask-complaining
A form of boomerasking used to set up a complaint.
Boomerasking: frequently asked questions
Why is it called boomerasking?
Like a boomerang, the question goes out to the other person but quickly comes back to the asker.
Is boomerasking always rude?
Not always intentional, but research suggests listeners usually find it less sincere than straightforwardly sharing your own story.