English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

phrase

my bad

my BAD

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My bad (phrase) means a casual admission that you made a mistake. Example: “My bad, I sent the file to the wrong address.”

phrase

1

informal A casual admission that you made a mistake.

"My bad, I sent the file to the wrong address."

"Sorry, that was my bad entirely."

How to use my bad

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA quick, casual way of saying the mistake was yours.

When to use it

Informal spoken English; avoid in formal or written apologies.

Memory tip

It stands alone as a whole sentence and never takes 'is': say 'my bad', not 'it is my bad'.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

my fault on me sorry →

Common pairings

oh, my bad totally my bad that was my bad

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C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

Test yourself on “my bad” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

_____, I sent the file to the wrong address.

Etymology

Pick-up basketball slang popularized (but not first coined) by Manute Bol, a basketball player of Sudanese origin playing with the Golden State Warriors, and subsequently adopted by teammates. Compare semantics with Russian оплошность (oplošnostʹ, “mistake, bad”), from о- (o-) + плох (plox, “bad”).

Frequently asked questions

Is 'my bad' rude?

Not rude, but very casual. It works among friends and colleagues for small slips, and it can sound dismissive if the mistake was serious, where a full apology is expected instead.

Is 'my bad' grammatically correct?

It is a fixed idiom rather than ordinary grammar, using the adjective 'bad' as if it were a noun. It is accepted in informal English and is not a mistake, but it does not belong in formal writing.

What can I say instead of 'my bad' at work?

'That was my mistake', 'apologies, that was on me' or simply 'sorry, I'll fix it' all carry the same admission with more weight. Naming the fix matters more than the wording.

What is the meaning of my bad?

"my bad" (phrase) means a casual admission that you made a mistake.

Definitions: FreeDict original editorial · etymology from Wiktionary