250+ American Slang Words (with Meaning)

American slang, a vibrant and dynamic form of language, plays a crucial role in shaping the linguistic landscape of the United States. Characterized by its informal and often innovative use, slang reflects the diverse cultural, social, and regional nuances of American society. Continuously evolving, it captures the zeitgeist of different eras and serves as a barometer for societal trends and attitudes. From the streets to the digital world, American slang is an integral part of the nation’s vernacular, illustrating the creativity and adaptability of the English language.

What is American slang?

American slang is informal, often creative language used in everyday speech in the United States, reflecting cultural trends, social groups, and regional differences.

Here are Top 10 American Slang:

Ghost – Ignoring someone completely.
Lit – Very exciting or fun.
Salty – Feeling upset or bitter.
Savage – Being brutally honest or fierce.
Shade – Subtly insulting or disrespecting someone.
Chill – Relax or calm down.
Flex – To show off.
Basic – Unoriginal or mainstream.
Thirsty – Desperate for attention.
Bae – Term of endearment

Table of Contents

American Slang

Lit – Extremely fun or exciting.
Ghost – To ignore someone completely.
Salty – Feeling upset or bitter.
Savage – Brutally honest or straightforward.
Shade – Subtle disrespect or insult.
Chill – To relax or calm down.
Flex – To show off.
Basic – Ordinary or mainstream.
Thirsty – Desperate for attention.
Bae – Term of endearment for a loved one.
Lowkey – Discreetly or secretly.
Highkey – Openly or obviously.
Slay – To do something impressively.
Turnt – Excited or energized, often due to alcohol.
Shook – Shocked or surprised.
Clapback – A quick, witty comeback.
Extra – Over the top or dramatic.
Gucci – Good or cool.
FOMO – Fear of missing out.
Squad – Close group of friends.
No Cap – No lie or seriously.
Hype – Excitement or promotion.
Throw shade – To give someone a dirty look.
Vibe – A mood or atmosphere.
Boujee – Luxurious or high-class.
Snack – Someone very attractive.
YOLO – You only live once.
Simp – Someone who is overly attentive to someone they like.
Woke – Being aware of social issues.
Finna – Going to or planning to do something.
Cap – Lie or false statement.
Stan – A very devoted fan.
Fleek – Perfectly done or on point.
Dead – Extremely funny.
Bruh – A casual term for a friend.
Fire – Something that’s very good.
Ratchet – Trashy or tacky.
Hangry – Angry because you’re hungry.
Jelly – Jealous.
Lit AF – Very exciting or cool.
GOAT – Greatest of all time.
Receipts – Proof or evidence.
Sick – Cool or awesome.
TBH – To be honest.
DM – Direct message.
Ghosted – Someone who suddenly stops communicating.
Mood – A relatable feeling or situation.
OTP – One true pairing (favorite couple).
Sauce – Confidence or style.
Swag – Style or presence.
Thot – A derogatory term for a promiscuous person.
Troll – Someone who stirs up trouble online.
Flexing – Showing off.
Dank – Very high quality.
Finesse – To handle skillfully.
G.O.A.T. – Greatest of all time.
Hundo P – Hundred percent.
JOMO – Joy of missing out.
Poppin’ – Trendy or popular.
Real Talk – A moment of honesty.
Saucey – Stylish or attractive.
Tea – Gossip or juicy information.
Thicc – Full-figured body.
Vibes – Atmosphere or mood.
Wack – Bad or not good.
XOXO – Hugs and kisses.
Yeet – To throw something with force.
Zaddy – An attractive man who’s also stylish.
Bet – Agreement or acknowledgment.
Bye Felicia – Dismissive goodbye.
Catch feels – To develop romantic feelings.
Dab – A popular dance move.
Epic – Amazing or impressive.
Fam – Close friends or family.
Gig – A job or performance.
Hella – Very or a lot.
I’m weak – Something is hilarious.
Janky – Of poor quality.
Kudos – Praise or compliments.
Low-Key – Modest or underplayed.
Meme – A viral internet joke or image.
Noob – A beginner or inexperienced person.
OMG – Oh my God.
Peep – To look at or check out.
Quirky – Unusually peculiar or odd.
Ride or Die – Very loyal.
Sus – Suspicious or untrustworthy.
Turn Up – To party or celebrate.
U-Haul – Moving quickly in a relationship.
Vape – To smoke an electronic cigarette.
Wig – Expression of shock or excitement.
Yeet – An exclamation of excitement.
Zilch – Nothing or none.
Chillax – Chill and relax.
Dope – Cool or awesome.
Fetch – Trying to make something popular.
Gnarly – Extreme, especially in a good way.
Hyped – Very excited or enthusiastic.

Explore More:

American Slang
British Slang
Common Slang words

Also Read: British Slang words

American Slang Words (with meaning)

Lit – exciting or enjoyable
Sentence: “That party was so lit!”
Dope – cool or excellent
Sentence: “Your new shoes are so dope!”
Squad – a group of friends or associates
Sentence: “I’m hanging out with my squad tonight.”
Chill – to relax or take it easy
Sentence: “I just want to chill and watch a movie tonight.”
Sick – impressive or awesome
Sentence: “That trick on the skateboard was sick!”
Gnarly – extreme or cool in a rough way
Sentence:“The waves today were gnarly.”
Hella – a lot or very
Sentence: “I’m hella tired from staying up late last night.”
Cray – crazy or insane
Sentence: “That rollercoaster was so cray!”
Wack – uncool or lame
Sentence: “That movie was wack, let’s watch something else.”
Bummer – a disappointment or setback
Sentence:“It’s a bummer that the concert got canceled.”
Ace – excellent or very good
Sentence: “You did an ace job on that project!”
Rad – cool or awesome
Sentence: “Those sunglasses are so rad!”
Lame – uncool or boring
Sentence: “I’m not going to that party, it’s lame.”
Bae – a term of endearment for a significant other
Sentence: “I’m going out with my bae tonight.”
Crush – a strong attraction or infatuation
Sentence: “I have a crush on my co-worker.”
Slay – to do something very well
Sentence: “She totally slayed that performance!”
Gucci – good or all good
Sentence: “Everything’s Gucci, no worries.”
Fam – short for family or close friends
Sentence: “I’m spending time with my fam this weekend.”
Woke – aware and knowledgeable about social and political issues
Sentence: “She’s so woke, she’s always fighting for justice.”
Savage – fierce or unapologetic
Sentence: “She’s a savage when it comes to competition.”
FOMO – fear of missing out
Sentence: “I don’t want to skip the party, I have FOMO.”
Dank – cool or impressive
Sentence: “That artwork is so dank!”
Suss – to investigate or figure something out
Sentence: “I need to suss out what happened.”
Yolo – you only live once
Sentence: “Let’s go skydiving, YOLO!”
Sesh – short for session, a gathering of friends to do something
Sentence: “We’re having a movie sesh tonight.”
Swag – style or confidence
Sentence: “She’s got so much swag.”
Hundo P – short for “100 percent”
Sentence: “I’m hundo P sure I left my keys at the office.”
Lowkey – secretly or discreetly
Sentence: “I’m lowkey excited for the new season of my favorite show.”
Fleek – perfect or flawless
Sentence:“Your makeup is on fleek!”
GOAT – greatest of all time
Sentence: “LeBron James is the GOAT of basketball.”

American Slang Phrases

Amped – excited or hyped up
Bummed out – disappointed or sad
Cool beans – “okay” or “great”
Epic fail – a major failure or mistake
Hangry – irritable or angry due to hunger
Killing it – doing extremely well
On point – accurate or precise
Piece of cake – something that is easy to do
Take a chill pill – a phrase telling someone to calm down or relax
Winning – doing very well or succeeding.
Ain’t nobody got time for that – “I’m not interested” or “I don’t have time for that”
Cheddar – money or cash
Deadass – “seriously” or “I’m not joking”
Fam bam – a term for a close-knit group of friends or family members
Gimme five – a phrase used for a high-five
I’m outta here – “I’m leaving”
Keep it 100 – to be honest or truthful
Lit AF – a variation of “lit” meaning extremely exciting or awesome
Netflix and chill – a euphemism for a casual sexual encounter
No worries – “don’t worry about it”
Off the chain – something that is really exciting or impressive
Peace out – “goodbye”
Pop a squat – to sit down
Real talk – “honest conversation”
Slay queen/king – a term of praise for someone who is killing it or doing something exceptionally well
Throwback – something from the past, often nostalgic
Totally – a word meaning “absolutely” or “completely”
Turn up – to party or have a good time
What’s good? – “what’s up?” or “how are you?”

American Sayings

“The ball is in your court.”
- It’s your decision or responsibility to do something now.
“Bite the bullet.”
- To endure a painful or unpleasant situation that is unavoidable.
“Break the ice.”
- To initiate a conversation in a social setting.
“By the skin of your teeth.”
- Barely succeeding in doing something.
“Costs an arm and a leg.”
- Very expensive or costly.
“Cut to the chase.”
- Skip all the preliminary details and get to the main point.
“Hit the sack.”
- To go to bed to sleep.
“Let the cat out of the bag.”
- To reveal a secret, often accidentally.
“Miss the boat.”
- To miss an opportunity.
“On the ball.”
- Doing a good job, being prompt, or being responsible.
“Piece of cake.”
- Something very easy to do.
“Speak of the devil.”
- The person we were just talking about actually appears at that moment.
“Take with a grain of salt.”
- To not take what someone says too seriously.
“The best of both worlds.”
- A situation wherein one can enjoy the benefits of two different opportunities.
“Throw in the towel.”
- To give up; to quit.
“Under the weather.”
- Feeling ill or sick.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
- Let’s not worry about that problem right now.
“You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
- Not to judge something or someone by its appearance.
“Barking up the wrong tree.”
- To be mistaken or looking for solutions in the wrong place.
“Hit the nail on the head.”
- To describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem

Italian American Slang

Fuggetaboutit – an expression meaning “forget about it”
Mamaluke – a term for a foolish or incompetent person
Capisce? – a question meaning “do you understand?”
Gavone – a term for someone who is gluttonous or lazy
Goomba – a term for a close friend or companion
Madone – an expression of surprise or disbelief
Muzzarella – a way of pronouncing “mozzarella” with an Italian accent
Paisan – a term for a fellow Italian or Italian-American
Pizzafication – a term for the process of Americanizing pizza with non-traditional toppings
Rigatoni – a slang term for a revolver or gun.

American Slang Expressions

Bite me – a rude way of telling someone to leave you alone or expressing anger
Cool beans – an expression of approval or agreement
Don’t sweat it – a way of saying “don’t worry about it”
Eyes peeled – to be watchful and alert
Far out – an expression of excitement or enthusiasm
Freak out – to become extremely upset or excited
Hang loose – to relax or take it easy
Nailed it – to successfully complete a task or perform well
No worries – a way of saying “it’s okay” or “don’t worry about it”
Take a chill pill – to calm down or relax.

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