Meanings
congoing1
- slanguncountablelifestyleThe action or hobby of attending a convention.
The gathering (brainstormed by John Newman) that marked the postwar revival of congoing in England.
1959, Richard "Dick" Harris Eney, Fancyclopedia II, Whitcon2 more examples
Over that time, the demographic of congoing has evolved, and many longer running cons have had to adapt.
1998 July 16, Andre Lieven, “Re: Why cons SHOULD NOT cost so much”, in alt.fandom.cons (Usenet), message-ID <6ol962$1t0@freenet-news.carleton.ca>The rest of it is very good and I wish I had had something of the sort available when I started congoing thirty years ago... ulp.
2005 December, Joseph T. Major, “The Fanivore”, in File 770, number 146, page 25
congoing2
- alternativeAlternative form of congaing.
He screams, and they all join hands to hips and congo line around the cabin. As they are congoing, Moose puts his keys on a shelf that is located downstage left.
2001, Doodlebug, →ISBN, page 3041 more example
If you can picture the scene: you've got people behind the bar breaking into where the spirits are, handing out free spirits and fags; you've got somebody else in the DJ bit handing out George Michael CDs to people, just pinging them around; you've got other people tipping the fruit machines, handing out 50p pieces left, right and centre; and the rest of them are all congoing and singing, jumping all over the cushions and chairs.
2004, Cass Pennant, Rob Silvester, Rolling with the 6.57 Crew, →ISBN
Origin
Blend of convention + going.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
congoing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/congoing
“congoing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/congoing. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “congoing,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/congoing.
Source: congoing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.