The English language is constantly evolving, and new words and phrases emerge all the time. American slang words are particularly interesting because it offers a unique insight into the culture of the United States.
What is American slang?
American slang is a diverse and constantly evolving part of the English language that is often influenced by regional and cultural differences.
Top 10 Common American Slang Words:
- Let – cool, exciting or fun.
- Sick – cool or impressive.
- Chill – relaxed or calm.
- Bae – a term of endearment for someone you love or care about.
- Gonna – going to.
- Woke – aware and informed about social and political issues.
- Fam – family or close friends.
- Savage – ruthless or unapologetic.
- Hella – very or a lot.
- Ghost – to suddenly stop responding or disappear without explanation.
American Slang Words
- Yas – An enthusiastic affirmation or agreement.
- Y’all – A contraction of “you all”
- Woke – Being aware of social issues and injustices.
- Wassup – A slang greeting, meaning “what’s up?”
- Turnt – Used to describe someone who is highly excited or intoxicated
- Throw shade – To make negative or insulting remarks towards someone
- Swag – Stylish confidence
- Squad – A group of friends or associates
- Slide into DMs – To initiate a private conversation on social media with romantic intentions.
- Slay – To do something exceptionally well
- Sip tea – To mind your own business or avoid drama
- Shook – Feeling surprised or shocked
- Ship – To endorse or support a romantic pairing between two people
- Scoop – To obtain or acquire something
- Savage – Used to describe someone who is tough or ruthless
- Salty – Resentful or bitter
- On fleek – Used to describe something that is perfect or flawless
- No cap – A phrase meaning “I’m not lying” or “I’m being serious”
- Lituation – A situation that is exciting or enjoyable
- Litty – A variation of “lit” used to describe something that is highly enjoyable or exciting
- Lit – Used to describe something that is exciting or amazing
- Lame – Something that is uncool or boring
- JOMO – An acronym for “Joy Of Missing Out” (the opposite of FOMO)
- I’m dead – Used to express disbelief or amusement
- Hundo P – An abbreviation for “100 percent” or “absolutely”
- Hella – Very or extremely
- Hater – Someone who expresses negativity towards someone or something
- Gucci – Good or great
- Gonna – A contraction of “going to”
- GOAT – An acronym for “Greatest Of All Time”
- Glow up – A positive transformation in appearance or lifestyle
- Gangsta – A term for someone who is tough or fearless
- FOMO – An acronym for “Fear Of Missing Out”
- Flex – To show off or boast
- Fam – A term for close friends or family members
- Dope – Cool or awesome
- Crash – To fall asleep suddenly
- Chill – To relax or take it easy
- Bounce – To leave or depart
- Boo – A term of affection for a significant other
- Bet – Ashortened version of “you bet”, meaning “okay” or “agreed”
- Basic – Used to describe someone or something that is unoriginal or mainstream
- Bae – A term of endearment for a significant other
Also Read: British Slang words
Slang Words In English With Meaning and Sentences
- 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 – Â “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 – Â “I’m not interested” or “I don’t have time for that”
- Cheddar – money or cash
- Deadass – Â “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 – Â “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 – Â “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 – Â “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? – Â “what’s up?” or “how are you?”
American Sayings
- All bark and no bite – someone who talks tough but doesn’t follow through
- Bite the bullet – to face a difficult situation head-on
- Break a leg – a phrase used to wish someone good luck
- Don’t count your chickens before they hatch – don’t assume something will happen before it actually does
- Drive someone up the wall – to annoy someone
- Get a taste of your own medicine – to experience something you have done to someone else
- Hang in there – a phrase used to encourage someone to persevere through a difficult situation
- Hit the hay – to go to bed
- In the same boat – in a similar situation as someone else
- On the ball – someone who is sharp or quick to understand things
- Piece of cake – something that is easy to do
- Rain check – a postponement of plans to a later date
- The ball is in your court – it’s up to you to make a decision or take action
- The early bird gets the worm – those who act early in life or work will succeed
- When pigs fly – a humorous way to say that something will never happen.
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.
American Slang Words 2022
- Vaxxed – vaccinated against COVID-19
- Boosted – received a COVID-19 booster shot
- Flu – to fake or exaggerate – “He’s totally flu-ing, he doesn’t really have a Lamborghini.”
- Simp – someone who does too much for someone they have a crush on
- Glow up – a dramatic improvement in appearance or confidence
- Cancel – to publicly reject or boycott someone or something – “I’m going to cancel that celebrity, I don’t like their behavior.”
- Cheugy – out of style or uncool – “Those shoes are so cheugy.”
- Karen – a derogatory term for an entitled or demanding woman
- Poggers – a term of excitement or approval – “That play was so poggers!”
- No cap – no lie or no joke – “I’m no cap, that concert was amazing.”
- Savage – ruthless or unapologetic – “She’s such a savage when it comes to competition.”
- Ship – to support or endorse a romantic relationship between two people – “I totally ship those two characters on the TV show.”
- GOAT – greatest of all time – “LeBron James is the GOAT of basketball.”
- Yeet – to throw or discard something with force – “I’m going to yeet this old sweater.”
- Clout – influence or popularity – “He’s got a lot of clout on social media.”
- TFW – an acronym for “that feeling when” – “TFW you finally finish a project you’ve been working on for months.”
- Flex – to show off or boast – “He’s always flexing his new car.”
- Salty – bitter or resentful – “She’s salty because she didn’t get the promotion.”
- AF – an acronym for “as f***” – “That party was lit AF!”
- Gucci – good or all good – “Everything’s Gucci, no worries.”