Gaming
w00t
What does w00t mean?
Sometimes back-formed as an acronym ('we owned the other team'), though this is a later folk explanation.
"He typed w00t after the clutch round and explained it meant 'we owned the other team'."
Origin
Popularized in 1990s gaming and Dungeons-and-Dragons-adjacent chat culture as a cry of joy; 'w00t' was named Merriam-Webster's 2007 Word of the Year. The 'we owned the other team' acronym is a widely cited but unproven backronym.
Frequently asked questions
What does w00t mean?
It's an exclamation of joy or triumph, like 'yes!' or 'hooray', written with two zeros.
Does w00t stand for something?
A popular folk etymology says 'we owned the other team', but this is an unproven backronym; it began simply as a cry of excitement.
Where did w00t come from?
From 1990s gaming and online roleplay chat, and it was Merriam-Webster's 2007 Word of the Year.
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