Did you know that language evolves so fast that some slang words from last year are already outdated? English slang isn’t just for fun—it’s a gateway to understanding culture, humor, and social trends. Whether you’re chatting with friends, scrolling through social media, or enjoying pop culture, knowing the right slang can make you feel more connected and confident.
In this article, I’ve curated 120+ of the most popular, modern, and regional English slang words—perfect for beginner English learners, advanced speakers and culture enthusiasts alike. From timeless classics to cutting-edge Gen Z lingo, this list covers it all. Let’s go!
Everyday Conversational Slang
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| Cool |
Awesome, great, or acceptable |
"That jacket looks really cool." |
| Chill |
Relaxed, calm, or easygoing |
"Let’s just chill at home tonight." |
| Hang out |
Spend time socially |
"Do you want to hang out later?" |
| Lit |
Exciting, fun, or amazing |
"That party was so lit!" |
| No cap |
No lie, being honest |
"I’m the best player on the team, no cap." |
| Bet |
Okay, agreed, or sure |
"You’ll pick me up at 8? Bet." |
| Drip |
Stylish or fashionable appearance |
"Check out his drip—it’s fire!" |
| Boujee |
Luxurious or fancy |
"That restaurant is so boujee." |
Gen Z Slang
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| Slay |
To succeed or perform exceptionally well |
"You slayed that outfit!" |
| Flex |
To show off or boast |
"That car is such a flex." |
| Yeet |
To throw something with excitement or abandon |
"He yeeted his backpack across the room." |
| Bussin' |
Very good, especially referring to food |
"This burger is bussin'!" |
| Simp |
Someone who shows excessive attention or affection |
"He’s such a simp for her." |
| Sus |
Suspicious or untrustworthy |
"That guy is acting so sus." |
| Tea |
Gossip or interesting information |
"Spill the tea about what happened!" |
| W |
Win or success |
"That’s a big W for our team!" |
| No cap |
No lie, being honest |
"This new album is fire, no cap." |
| Shook |
Surprised or shocked |
"I was so shook by that plot twist." |
| Glow-up |
Significant positive transformation |
"She had a major glow-up over the summer." |
| Hits different |
Something that feels unique or impactful |
"This song just hits different." |
| Dank |
High-quality, cool, or awesome |
"That meme is so dank." |
| Main character |
Acting like the center of attention |
"She’s totally the main character in this story." |
| Ratio |
When a reply gets more likes than the original post |
"Your post got ratioed in the comments." |
Hip-Hop and Urban Slang
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| Bling |
Flashy jewelry or accessories |
"Check out all the bling he’s wearing." |
| Dope |
Cool, awesome, or impressive |
"That beat is so dope!" |
| Whip |
Car |
"He just got a new whip." |
| Stack |
Money, often a large sum |
"He made a stack selling those sneakers." |
| Hustle |
Work hard or a side job |
"She’s got a real hustle going with her business." |
| Throw shade |
Subtly insult or criticize |
"She was throwing shade at his outfit." |
| Bounce |
To leave or depart |
"Let’s bounce before it gets too late." |
| Squad |
A group of close friends |
"I’m hanging out with my squad tonight." |
Regional Slang (American, British, Australian, and Canadian)
| Slang Word |
Region |
Meaning |
Example |
| Y’all |
American (Southern) |
You all |
"What are y’all doing tonight?" |
| Cheeky |
British |
Playfully mischievous |
"Let’s grab a cheeky pint after work." |
| Arvo |
Australian |
Afternoon |
"See you this arvo at the beach." |
| Eh |
Canadian |
Used to confirm or seek agreement |
"It’s pretty cold out, eh?" |
| Dodgy |
British |
Untrustworthy or suspicious |
"That shop looks a bit dodgy." |
| Macca’s |
Australian |
McDonald's |
"Let’s grab lunch at Macca’s." |
| Loonie |
Canadian |
One-dollar coin |
"I need a loonie for the vending machine." |
| Bodega |
American (New York) |
Corner store or convenience store |
"I’ll grab a sandwich at the bodega." |
Internet and Gaming Slang
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| GG |
Good game, used to show sportsmanship |
"That was a tough match, GG!" |
| Noob |
New or inexperienced player |
"Stop camping, noob!" |
| AFK |
Away from keyboard |
"Don’t attack, I’m AFK for a sec." |
| Pog |
Excited or impressive moment |
"That play was so pog!" |
| Lag |
Slow internet connection causing delay |
"I lost because of lag!" |
| LFG |
Looking for group |
"Anyone LFG for tonight’s raid?" |
| OP |
Overpowered, too strong |
"That weapon is so OP, it’s unfair." |
| Troll |
Someone causing disruption or annoyance online |
"Ignore him, he’s just trolling." |
Pop Culture Slang
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| Fetch |
Cool or stylish (from "Mean Girls") |
"That outfit is so fetch!" |
| Bye Felicia |
Dismissive farewell (from "Friday") |
"You’re complaining again? Bye Felicia." |
| Shook |
Surprised or shocked |
"I was so shook by the plot twist." |
| Bae |
Significant other or someone special |
"I’m going out with bae tonight." |
| On fleek |
Perfectly done, flawless |
"Your eyebrows are on fleek today." |
| Yas |
Enthusiastic yes |
"Yas, queen! You nailed it." |
| Squad goals |
Aspiring group dynamic |
"Their friendship is total squad goals." |
| It’s giving |
Reminds me of or embodies |
"That outfit? It’s giving 90s chic." |
Slang for Emotions and Reactions
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| Dead |
Extremely amused |
"That joke was so funny, I’m dead!" |
| Salty |
Bitter or upset |
"Why are you so salty about losing the game?" |
| Triggered |
Emotionally provoked or annoyed |
"I get so triggered when people interrupt me." |
| Vibe |
Mood or feeling |
"The music here really sets the vibe." |
| Extra |
Over the top, dramatic |
"He’s being so extra about the situation." |
| Lowkey |
Secretly or subtly |
"I lowkey love that movie, don’t tell anyone." |
| Highkey |
Openly or obviously |
"I highkey want to go to that concert." |
| Thirsty |
Desperate for attention or validation |
"She’s so thirsty for likes on her post." |
Slang for Social Situations
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| FOMO |
Fear of missing out |
"I’m getting FOMO from all these vacation photos." |
| Turnt |
Excited or partying hard |
"The party got so turnt last night!" |
| Squad |
A group of close friends |
"I’m heading to the beach with my squad." |
| Hook up |
Casual romantic or physical encounter |
"Did they hook up at the party?" |
| Ghost |
To cut off communication without explanation |
"He just ghosted me after our last date." |
| Canceled |
Rejected or ostracized due to controversial behavior |
"That influencer got canceled for their tweets." |
| Cringe |
Embarrassing or awkward |
"That speech was so cringe." |
| Hangry |
Angry due to hunger |
"I get so hangry if I skip lunch." |
Slang for Food and Drink
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| Grub |
Food |
"Let’s grab some grub after work." |
| Nom |
Delicious food (mimicking eating sounds) |
"These cookies are so nom!" |
| Brew |
Beer or tea (regional) |
"Let’s have a brew to relax." |
| Juice |
Alcoholic drink or energy |
"Let’s hit the juice bar tonight." |
| Munchies |
Craving for snacks |
"I’ve got the munchies—what’s in the fridge?" |
| Chow |
Food or eating |
"Time to chow down on some pizza." |
| Sammich |
Humorous term for sandwich |
"Can you make me a sammich?" |
| Bev |
Beverage |
"Who wants a bev before we head out?" |
Workplace Slang
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| Circle back |
Revisit a topic later |
"Let’s circle back on this after the meeting." |
| Ping |
Send a quick message |
"Ping me when you have the update." |
| Bandwidth |
Capacity to take on more tasks |
"I don’t have the bandwidth for another project right now." |
| Low-hanging fruit |
Easy or quick wins |
"Let’s focus on the low-hanging fruit first." |
| Move the needle |
Make significant progress |
"We need a strategy that really moves the needle." |
| On the same page |
In agreement or alignment |
"Let’s ensure we’re on the same page before presenting." |
| Touch base |
Check in or communicate briefly |
"Can we touch base tomorrow about the proposal?" |
| Deep dive |
Thorough examination |
"Let’s do a deep dive into the analytics." |
College/University Slang
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| Pre-game |
Drinking or partying before a larger event |
"We’re meeting at my dorm to pre-game before the concert." |
| Pull an all-nighter |
Stay up all night to study or finish work |
"I had to pull an all-nighter to finish that paper." |
| Crash |
Sleep, especially when very tired |
"After the exam, I went home and crashed." |
| Freshie |
Freshman, a first-year student |
"The freshies are still trying to figure out the campus." |
| Skim |
Quickly go over study material |
"I didn’t read the book; I just skimmed the key chapters." |
| Wing it |
Do something without preparation |
"I didn’t study for the quiz; I’ll just wing it." |
| T.A. |
Teaching assistant |
"The T.A. helped me understand the assignment." |
| Pop quiz |
Unplanned, surprise quiz |
"Our professor loves giving pop quizzes." |
Modern Workplace & Startup Slang
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| Unicorn |
A startup valued at over $1 billion |
"They’re aiming to become the next unicorn in fintech." |
| Pivot |
Shift in business strategy |
"After market feedback, the startup decided to pivot." |
| Hustle |
Work hard and persistently |
"Startup culture thrives on hustle and grit." |
| Bootstrapping |
Starting a business with minimal resources |
"They’ve been bootstrapping their startup for two years." |
| Burn rate |
The rate at which a company spends its cash |
"With this burn rate, they’ll need funding in 6 months." |
| Freemium |
Free product with paid premium features |
"The app runs on a freemium model to attract users." |
| Growth hacking |
Innovative strategies to rapidly grow a business |
"They hired a team to focus on growth hacking." |
| MVP |
Minimum Viable Product |
"Let’s launch the MVP to get user feedback." |
Sarcastic or Ironic Slang
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| Big yikes |
Expressing embarrassment or awkwardness |
"You said that in front of your boss? Big yikes." |
| Can’t relate |
Expressing disbelief or detachment, often sarcastic |
"You love working overtime? Can’t relate." |
| Oh, totally |
Mock agreement, often exaggerated |
"Oh, totally, because everyone loves waiting in traffic." |
| Thanks for coming to my TED Talk |
Used humorously after making a dramatic or unnecessary statement |
"Pineapple on pizza is the worst. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk." |
| Must be nice |
Mock envy or sarcasm |
"You’re going to Hawaii again? Must be nice." |
| Cool story, bro |
Dismissive response to a boring or irrelevant story |
"And then I got a free pen from the bank. Cool story, bro." |
| Love that for you |
Expressing fake enthusiasm or mock pity |
"You got stuck in the rain? Love that for you." |
| Same |
Ironically expressing agreement |
"I tripped walking up the stairs. Same." |
Romantic/Relationship Slang
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| Ship |
To support or root for a romantic pairing |
"I totally ship them together." |
| Bae |
Significant other or someone special |
"Bae is making dinner tonight." |
| Love bombing |
Overwhelming someone with excessive affection early on |
"Be careful; they might be love bombing you." |
| Cuffing season |
Time of year when people seek serious relationships |
"It’s cuffing season—time to find a partner." |
| Ghosting |
Ending communication abruptly and without explanation |
"I thought we were getting along, but they ghosted me." |
| Catfishing |
Pretending to be someone else online to deceive |
"They were catfishing me the whole time." |
| Thirst trap |
Photo or post meant to attract attention or admiration |
"That’s definitely a thirst trap photo." |
| Benching |
Keeping someone as a backup without commitment |
"I think they’re benching me while dating other people." |
Travel Slang
| Slang Word |
Meaning |
Example |
| Red-eye |
Overnight flight |
"I’m catching the red-eye to New York tonight." |
| Jet lag |
Fatigue caused by traveling across time zones |
"I’m so jet-lagged after that 10-hour flight." |
| Staycation |
A vacation spent at home or nearby |
"I’m too busy for a trip, so I’m doing a staycation." |
| Backpacking |
Traveling with minimal luggage |
"I spent a month backpacking through Europe." |
| Hitchhiking |
Traveling by getting free rides from strangers |
"We saved money by hitchhiking across the country." |
| Glamping |
Luxurious camping |
"We went glamping in a fancy tent with a hot tub." |
| Roadie |
A drink consumed during a road trip |
"Grab a roadie before we hit the road." |
| Digital nomad |
Someone who works remotely while traveling |
"He’s a digital nomad living in Bali." |
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