Slang dictionary A–Z

Every reviewed entry in SlangDecoded, in alphabetical order. Each one gives a plain-English meaning, real example sentences and what is known about where the word came from.

Looking for a topic instead? Gen Z Slang, TikTok Slang, Texting Abbreviations, Internet Slang, Aesthetics, Dating Slang, Gaming Slang, British Slang, K-pop Slang, Anime Slang, Work & Money Slang

P

  • pocketing Pocketing is keeping the person you’re dating hidden: they never meet your friends or family, and…
  • pog Pog is a hype word from Twitch chat. It means something exciting just happened, roughly “let’s…
  • poggers Poggers, often shortened to pog, is a hype word meaning “awesome” or “that’s amazing.” It comes…
  • POV POV means “point of view.” On TikTok and Instagram, a “POV” caption sets up a scene…
  • pressed Pressed means upset, annoyed or bothered, often more than the situation deserves. “Why are you so…
  • pwned Pwned means completely beaten, dominated or humiliated. It’s a deliberate misspelling of “owned,” and it’s usually…

Q

  • quiet firing Quiet firing is when an employer makes a job so unrewarding or uncomfortable that the employee…
  • quiet hiring Quiet hiring is when a company fills a skills gap without hiring new full-time staff, by…
  • quiet luxury Quiet luxury means expensive clothing that doesn’t show off: no logos, no flashy details, just high-quality…
  • quiet quitting Quiet quitting means doing exactly what your job requires and nothing more, without actually quitting. No…

R

  • rage applying Rage applying means applying for lots of jobs in one go because you’re fed up with…
  • rage bait Rage bait is content made to make you angry, so you’ll comment, share and push it…
  • rage farming Rage farming is deliberately and repeatedly provoking people online so their angry replies boost your reach.…
  • rage quit To rage quit is to quit a game, or anything else, suddenly and angrily because you…
  • ratio A ratio is when replies to a social media post vastly outnumber its likes or shares,…
  • receipts In slang, receipts are proof: screenshots, videos, messages or records that back up a claim. “Show…
  • red flag A red flag is a warning sign that something, or someone, could be bad news. In…
  • rekt Rekt is a misspelling of “wrecked,” meaning badly beaten, destroyed or embarrassed. “Get rekt” is a…
  • rizz Rizz means charm or the ability to attract someone, especially romantically. Someone with rizz can flirt…
  • rizzler A rizzler is someone with a lot of rizz, meaning charm and skill at flirting. It’s…
  • rn Rn means “right now.” It describes what’s happening at this moment, or adds urgency to a…
  • roadman A roadman is a young man, usually in a UK city, who is deeply into street…

S

  • salty Salty means bitter, annoyed or resentful, usually over something minor. If someone is salty, they’re visibly…
  • savage Savage, as slang, means boldly brutal, fearless or shockingly honest, often in a way people admire.…
  • say less Say less means “I’m in, you don’t need to convince me.” It’s an enthusiastic yes: you’ve…
  • selca Selca means selfie. It comes from the Korean word 셀카 (selka), a shortened blend of the…
  • senpai Senpai means an older or more experienced person, like an upperclassman or a senior colleague. In…
  • shade Shade is a subtle, indirect insult: disrespect delivered with a smile, a look or a carefully…
  • shadowban A shadowban is when a platform quietly limits who can see your posts, without telling you.…
  • sheesh Sheesh is an exclamation of amazement, admiration or disbelief, like “wow” or “dang.” Today it’s most…
  • ship To ship two people is to want them to be in a relationship, whether they’re fictional…
  • shitpost A shitpost is a deliberately low-effort, absurd or provocative post, made to be funny, to derail…
  • shook Shook means shocked, shaken up or rattled. It can describe real fear, or, much more often…
  • side hustle A side hustle is paid work you do on top of your main job, like freelancing,…
  • side quest A side quest is a detour from your main plans, usually an unplanned errand, a random…
  • side-eye A side-eye is a sideways look that says “I don’t trust this,” “really?” or “I saw…
  • sigma Sigma has two slang meanings. A “sigma male” is supposedly a cool, independent lone wolf who…
  • simp A simp is someone who does way too much for a person they are attracted to,…
  • situationship A situationship is a romantic or sexual relationship that has no clear label. It is more…
  • Skibidi Skibidi is a nonsense word that took over Gen Alpha slang thanks to the YouTube series…
  • skinship Skinship means physical affection between people who are close: hugs, holding hands, linking arms, leaning on…
  • slaps Slaps means something is really good, especially a song. If a track slaps, it hits hard…
  • slay To slay means to do something brilliantly, or to look amazing. As a cheer, “slay!” is…
  • slay queen Slay queen means two very different things depending on where you are. In the US, “Slay,…
  • smh Smh means “shaking my head.” It shows disappointment, disapproval or disbelief, the written version of shaking…
  • smurf A smurf is an experienced player who uses a new or low-ranked account to play against…
  • snatched Snatched means looking amazing: flawless, sharp and perfectly put together. Dictionary.com defines it as amazingly good,…
  • sneaky link A sneaky link is someone you’re secretly seeing or hooking up with, and the whole point…
  • soft girl Soft girl is a cute, gentle aesthetic built on pastel colours, playful prints, rosy blush and…
  • soft launch To soft launch a relationship is to hint at it online without showing who the person…
  • soft life The soft life is a life of comfort, ease and low stress, chosen on purpose instead…
  • speedrun A speedrun is playing through a game, or one part of it, as fast as possible,…
  • spill the tea To spill the tea means to share gossip or reveal the juicy details of a situation.…
  • stan A stan is an extremely devoted fan, and to stan someone is to support them with…
  • subtweet A subtweet is a social media post about a specific person that doesn’t name or tag…
  • sus Sus means suspicious or suspect. If someone is acting sus, they seem shady, untrustworthy or just…
  • sweaty In gaming, sweaty describes someone who plays with intense, over-the-top effort, especially in matches that are…

T

  • talking stage The talking stage is the early, in-between phase when two people are texting, flirting and maybe…
  • tbh Tbh means “to be honest.” People add it to share a frank opinion, admit something, or…
  • tea Tea means gossip, or the inside story about someone’s private business. “What’s the tea?” means “what’s…
  • thicc Thicc means curvy or full-figured, usually as a compliment about someone’s body. It’s a respelling of…
  • thirst trap A thirst trap is a photo or video posted to get attention, usually compliments about how…
  • ting Ting is British and Caribbean slang for “thing.” In London slang it can also mean an…
  • TL;DR TL;DR means “too long; didn’t read.” It’s used either to complain that a text is too…
  • touch grass Touch grass means “go outside and reconnect with the real world.” People say it to someone…
  • toxic In gaming and online communities, toxic describes players or behavior meant to make the experience worse…
  • tradwife A tradwife, short for “traditional wife,” is a married woman who embraces traditional gender roles as…
  • Troll An internet troll is someone who posts deliberately inflammatory, off-topic or offensive things to provoke a…
  • try-hard A try-hard is someone who tries too hard, putting in so much obvious effort that it…
  • tsundere A tsundere is a character, or a person, who acts cold, prickly or even hostile at…
  • TTYL TTYL means “talk to you later.” It’s a friendly way to end a chat while making…

U

  • unspoken rizz Unspoken rizz is charm that works without saying a word: a look, a half-smile, a nod…
  • uwu UwU is a text emoticon of a cute, happy face: the two u’s are closed eyes…

V

  • valid In slang, valid means acceptable, reasonable or legit. “That’s valid” is a way of saying “fair…
  • vibe A vibe is the feeling or atmosphere a person, place or thing gives off. As a…
  • vibe check A vibe check is a quick, gut-level read on someone’s mood, energy or attitude. You either…
  • vibecession A vibecession is a stretch of time when the economy looks healthy by the usual measures,…
  • VSCO girl A VSCO girl is a 2019 teen style built around oversized T-shirts, scrunchies, Birkenstocks, shell necklaces…
  • vtuber A VTuber, short for “virtual YouTuber,” is an online entertainer who streams or makes videos as…

W

  • W W means “win.” Calling something a W says it’s a victory, a good decision, or simply…
  • waifu A waifu is a fictional female character, usually from anime, manga or a video game, that…
  • wasteman A wasteman is a useless, annoying or worthless person. It is a London slang insult for…
  • weeb A weeb is a non-Japanese person who is obsessed with Japanese pop culture, especially anime and…
  • WYA Wya means “where you at?”, in other words “where are you?” People send it to find…
  • WYD Wyd means “what (are) you doing?” It’s a casual way to start a conversation, check what…

Y

  • yami kawaii Yami kawaii, Japanese for roughly “sick cute,” is a fashion style that pairs soft pastel cuteness…
  • yandere A yandere is a fictional character who seems sweet and loving at first but becomes obsessively,…
  • yeet Yeet is what people shout when they throw something hard, and it also works as a…
  • yikes Yikes is what you say when something is embarrassing, awkward or alarming. It’s a wince in…
  • YOLO YOLO stands for “you only live once.” People say it to justify doing something bold, impulsive…

Z

  • zombieing Zombieing is when someone who ghosted you comes back from the dead, usually with a breezy…