English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

Slang Dictionary — Modern Slang, Decoded

What does that word actually mean? Our slang dictionary explains modern slang clearly — Gen Z, internet, British and street slang — with real definitions, examples and where each term came from.

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Gen Z Slangrizz, delulu, slay Internet Slangbrainrot, based, mid British Slangpeng, bare, peak AAVEbussin, finna, cap

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Latest slang terms

A parting phrase wishing someone well, or telling them to behave.

To perform brilliantly or thrive — 'him gwaan bad' means he's doing amazingly ('bad' = good).

Literally 'go on' or 'go along'; frequently used in the greeting 'wa gwaan' and in phrases like 'gwaan good' (go well).

A boss or person in charge; also a friendly or respectful way of addressing a man. A variant of 'governor'.

Sandshoes, plimsolls or trainers with rubber soles.

In the Valleys 'gutsy' means greedy for food rather than brave, describing someone who eats more than their share.

The mobile food truck that does the rounds of construction sites and industrial yards. Named for what eating off it will do to your gut. Used interchangeably with roach coach — regional preference mostly.

Dressed smartly or ornamented, sometimes excessively.

Dublin term for an unruly young fella — somewhere between cheeky chancer and full-blown delinquent. Tracksuit, attitude, up to no good. Closer to 'hooligan' than 'criminal' — it's the swagger and the trouble, not necessarily the crime.

A quarterback who plays boldly and fearlessly, taking chances on deep and difficult throws like a quick-draw gunfighter.

Nickname for well-developed arm muscles, particularly the biceps.

An affectionate nickname for a Marine Gunnery Sergeant (E-7). It is improper to call a Master Gunnery Sergeant 'gunny.'

Someone who takes an excessive number of shots, firing away without hesitation.

Wildly enthusiastic, all-in, charging at it. Started as a sincere teamwork ethos under Carlson's Raiders — work together, fight together. Civilian English flipped it slightly: now it usually means a little too keen, a little too ready to volunteer.

The 'reload' or 'pull up' culture is tied to it — gunfingers demand the DJ spins it back.

To fake or falsify records — writing up official reports as though requirements were met without actually performing the procedures.

Originally a female pickpocket ('gun' = thief), 'gun moll' later came to mean a gangster's girlfriend or armed female accomplice.

An artilleryman, often specifically a cannon crewman. Sometimes used dismissively to imply the job is simple — 'pull string, gun goes boom.'

In older underworld cant 'gun' means a thief or pickpocket. It derives from Yiddish 'gonif' rather than the weapon.

A detective, especially a private one. Comes from the soft rubber-soled 'gum' shoes worn for sneaking around tailing suspects without a sound. The mac, the hat, the cigarette — that gumshoe.

Waterproof rubber boots worn on farms and in wet weather; a rural Kiwi staple.

When a whole room is talking simultaneously and nobody's really listening — the verbal equivalent of gumbo, everything mixed together. Affectionate, not a complaint. It's a feature of a good kitchen, a good porch, a good wake.

gumball machine

A police car, usually a marked one with the lightbar lit up. Classic CB warning to other truckers that there's a cop ahead — "bear in a gumball machine" means a cruiser running lights.

A brief but intensely heavy rainstorm strong enough to send water rushing through gullies and ditches.