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

An expression meaning a very long time, ages.

donkey walloper

Slang for a member of the cavalry, from the days when cavalry rode horses.

A term for someone younger than you, whether a sibling or a close junior. The counterpart to hyung, noona, oppa, and unnie.

don't poke the bear

A warning not to antagonize a person likely to react badly.

don't have a lick of sense

Said of someone completely lacking in judgment; "a lick" means the smallest bit.

A powerful, respected man — often a community strongman or leader ('area don'). Superlatives include 'don dada' and 'don gorgon'.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: muscle pain and stiffness that appears 24–72 hours after unaccustomed or intense exercise.

The Dom is the one in charge — the partner exercising psychological authority and control in a power dynamic. This is about headspace and command, not who's physically doing what (that's Top/Bottom). 'Domme' is the feminine spelling, pronounced the same, used to flag a woman in the role. Short for dominant.

The submarine warfare insignia — two dolphins flanking a sub's bow — pinned on the chest of a qualified submariner. You don't get them automatically for showing up; you earn them by completing the brutal qualification process, learning every system on the boat, and passing the qual board. Until then you're a non-qual and the crew won't let you forget it.

As a term of endearment, 'dolly' could stand alone for a sweet or good-looking person.

A masked cosplayer, especially in animegao or ball-jointed-doll styles, who aims for a lifelike 'living doll' effect rather than acting out a specific character.

A slice of pizza sold for about a dollar at budget pizzerias found across the city; a late-night and broke-New-Yorker staple.

dollar cost averaging

Dollar cost averaging (DCA) is investing a fixed sum at regular intervals no matter the price, so you buy more units when prices are low and fewer when high, smoothing the average cost. It reduces the risk of poor market timing.

A derogatory term for someone regarded as claiming unemployment benefits rather than working.

The Japanese sound-word for a pounding heartbeat, used to convey excitement, nervousness or romantic flutter. Fans use it to describe heart-fluttering scenes.

A Japanese sound-effect word representing a racing heart, used to convey nervous excitement or romantic tension, and familiar from titles like Doki Doki Literature Club.

A cute female character defined by her clumsiness — forever tripping, dropping things and fumbling, which is played for charm and moe.

Slang for earning money in significant quantity, often by moving product.

doing the dutch

A euphemism for taking one's own life while incarcerated.

When a horde of users descend on one account at once — quote-tweets, replies, screenshots, the works — usually after one tweet went viral for the wrong reasons. Can be playful ratio-ing or full harassment depending on the target.

A person who is cold-hearted, cruel or without compassion.

Using photos with a cute dog you don't actually own on a dating app to come across as warmer, more responsible, and more attractive to match with.

A nickname for a US Army foot soldier, particularly the frontline infantrymen of World War II.

The Shiba Inu meme itself, plus the whole speech style it spawned, two-word fragments stacked together (much, very, so, such, wow) to caption a reaction or a situation. Reading it in your head with the slightly stunned dog voice is the whole appeal.