English slang is dynamic, reflecting cultural shifts and trends. For example, “ghost” means to abruptly cease communication, often in a dating context. “Lit” describes an exciting or excellent situation or event. “Salty” refers to feeling upset, bitter, or resentful. “Chill” means to relax or hang out. “Savage” indicates someone or something is extremely impressive, often in a slightly aggressive or unapologetic way. Understanding slang helps in grasping the nuances of contemporary English usage.
Here are 10 Common English Slang Words:
- Chill – Stay relaxed
- Epic – Extremely awesome
- Flex – Show off
- Hyped – Very excited
- Noob – Inexperienced person
- Savage – Brutally honest
- Shook – Deeply surprised
- Slay – Impress greatly
- Snack – Attractive person
- Yeet – Throw forcefully
Common English Slang words
- Ghosted: Ignored
- Sentence: “He totally ghosted me.”
- Lit: Exciting
- Sentence: “That party was lit.”
- Salty: Upset
- Sentence: “She’s salty about losing.”
- Savage: Ruthless
- Sentence: “His comeback was savage.”
- Flex: Show off
- Sentence: “Stop trying to flex.”
- Shook: Shocked
- Sentence: “I’m totally shook right now.”
- Basic: Ordinary
- Sentence: “That’s so basic, honestly.”
- Extra: Over the top
- Sentence: “She’s always so extra.”
- Thirsty: Desperate
- Sentence: “He’s acting really thirsty.”
- Lowkey: Understated
- Sentence: “I lowkey love this.”
- Highkey: Openly
- Sentence: “I highkey need coffee.”
- Bae: Significant other
- Sentence: “Hanging with my bae.”
- Fam: Close group
- Sentence: “You’re all my fam.”
- Slay: Do great
- Sentence: “You totally slay, girl!”
- Gucci: Good
- Sentence: “Everything’s totally Gucci here.”
- Clapback: Sharp reply
- Sentence: “Loved her epic clapback.”
- Squad: Group of friends
- Sentence: “Out with my squad.”
- Hyped: Very excited
- Sentence: “I’m so hyped up!”
- Simp: Overly attentive
- Sentence: “He’s such a simp.”
- Woke: Socially aware
- Sentence: “Stay woke, people.”
- Yeet: Throw forcefully
- Sentence: “Just yeet it there.”
- Mood: Relatable feeling
- Sentence: “That’s such a mood.”
- Sus: Suspicious
- Sentence: “That looks kinda sus.”
- GOAT: Greatest of all time
- Sentence: “He’s the GOAT, honestly.”
- FOMO: Fear of missing out
- Sentence: “I’ve got serious FOMO.”
- Snatched: Looks good
- Sentence: “Your outfit is snatched.”
- Bruh: Bro
- Sentence: “Bruh, that was wild.”
- Cap/No Cap: Lie/Truth
- Sentence: “No cap, that’s real.”
- Shade: Disrespect
- Sentence: “She threw serious shade.”
- Vibe: Atmosphere
- Sentence: “Loving the chill vibe.”
- Spill the Tea: Share gossip
- Sentence: “Come on, spill the tea.”
Explore More:
American Slang
British Slang
Common Slang words
Common British Slang
- Cheeky: Bold, impudent, playful
- Chuffed: Very pleased, delighted
- Gutted: Deeply disappointed, upset
- Bants (Banter): Playful teasing, joking
- Dodgy: Suspicious, of concern
- Gobsmacked: Utterly astonished, amazed
- Knackered: Extremely tired, exhausted
- Legless: Extremely drunk, intoxicated
- Miffed: Annoyed, slightly offended
- Naff: Unfashionable, lacking style
- Pukka: First-rate, excellent quality
- Skint: Lacking money, broke
- Snog: Kiss passionately, make-out
- Quid: Pound sterling, money
- Blimey: Expression of surprise
- Wonky: Unsteady, not right
- Bollocks: Nonsense, rubbish talk
- Nicked: Stolen, or arrested
- Chinwag: Chat, casual conversation
- Kip: Nap, short sleep
Common British Expressions
- Bob’s your uncle: Easily accomplished, it’s done
- The Bee’s Knees: Excellent, of quality
- Dog’s Dinner: Messy, poorly done
- Piece of Cake: Very easy task
- Full Monty: Everything, the lot
- It’s Pants: Very poor quality
- On your bike: Go away, dismiss
- Pear Shaped: Gone wrong, failed
- Poppycock: Nonsense, utter rubbish
- Taking the Mickey: Teasing, making fun
- Throw a Spanner: Sabotage, disrupt plans
- Tickety-Boo: Fine, working well
- Up the Duff: Pregnant, expecting baby
- Not my cup of tea: Dislike, not preferred
- Over the moon: Extremely happy, elated
- Under the weather: Feeling ill, unwell
- Lost the Plot: Gone crazy, irrational
- Dead as a Dodo: Completely obsolete, extinct
- Keep your hair on: Stay calm, relax
- Blow Your Own Trumpet: Brag, self-promote
Common American Slangs
- Chill: Relax, calm down
- Sick: Amazing, really cool
- Ghost: Suddenly stop communicating
- Bail: Leave abruptly, exit
- Jacked: Very muscular, strong
- Burn: Insult, sharp criticism
- Crash: Sleep, fall asleep
- Dope: Cool, impressive thing
- Hyped: Very excited, enthusiastic
- Savage: Ruthless, doesn’t care
- Throw Shade: Discreetly insult, disrespect
- Boujee: Luxurious, high-class lifestyle
- Flex: Show off, boast
- Ride Shotgun: Front seat passenger
- Spill the Tea: Share the gossip
- Bummer: Disappointing, unfortunate situation
- Couch Potato: Lazy, inactive person
- Go-to: Preferred, favorite choice
- No-brainer: Easy, obvious decision
- Stoked: Very excited, thrilled
Most Common Slang Words Used Everyday
| Zip | nothing | She knew zip about running the company |
| Vibes | feelings | She really gives off bad vibes |
| Veg out | relax and do nothing | I want to veg out in front of the laptop this evening |
| Up for grabs | available | Everything is up for grabs, This is a sale |
| Up ( happy cheerful) | happy and cheerful | Lee has been up ever since he met his new friend |
| Totaled | completely wrecked | My bike was totaled in the accident with the garbage truck |
| Tool around | drive around | It is time to go office I don’t want to tool around all night |
| Threads | clothes | Those look like expensive threads she is wearing |
| Taking care of business | doing what i have to do | She have been taking care of business |
| Taken | cheated out of | She was taken for all her money at the casino |
| Take a hike | leave | Take a hike, I am tired of all your complaining |
| Sucker | be deceived | Don’t be a sucker |
| Stressed | upset | I am really stressed by all the recent world events |
| Straight | honest | I want you to give me a straight answer |
| Stink | is repulsive | This whole operation stinks |
| Steamed up | angry | Don’t get so steamed up over the issue |
| Square | old-fashioned | My father looks square in his jacket |
| Spud | potatoes | Do you want rice or spuds for dinner? |
| Spook | frightened | The cows were spooked by the howling of the wolves |
| Split | leave | It is time to split and go see the movie |
| Smoke eater | fireman | My brother is a smoke eater |
| Smashed | intoxicated | Try not to get smashed at the dinner party |
| Slammer | jail | The police threw them both in the slammer |
| Shot down | disagreed with | Everyone shot down my idea at first, but later agreed that it was a good idea |
| Shot | try | I’ll give the puzzle another shot |
| Sharp | intelligent | she is very sharp with numbers |
| Screw up | make a mistake | If she screw up one more time, i will fire her |
| Screw around | waste time | If you screw around all day at this work, you will have to come back again |
| Schmuck | jerk | What a stupid schmuck |
| Scarf | ate quickly | Since he hadn’t eaten in a week, he scarfed down everything on his plate |
| Scam | swindle | a fake scheme to steal money or goods |
| Sack | go to bed | When did you hit the sack last day? |
| Run out of gas | lost interest or momentum | The doctor ran out of gas during the campaign |
| Runoff at the mouth | talking too much | She always running off at the mouth |
| Rule | dominates | My mother rules the house |
| Rug rat | children | My brother has three rug rats |
| Rug | wig | Is that a rug on his foot? |
| Rough time | hard time | We have had a rough time this summar |
| Rocks | with ice | Would you like your whiskey on the rocks? |
| Road hog | takes up too much of the road | That driver is a road hog Slang words in English |
| Riot | funny | The filmy program was a real riot |
| Rinky-dink | inferior | The park was really rinky-dink |
| Repo | repossess | Hey, don’t repo my bike, I will pay next month |
| Red hot | important | Your advice is really red hot |
| Ream someone out | got angry with him | The teacher really reamed him out for her bad report |
| Raw | new | The raw office workers were not getting much done |
| Rathole | run-down place | When are you going to be able to move out of that rat hole? |
| Rap | talk about | We need to sit down and rap about a few things |
| Rag | newspaper | I can’t believe we still get this same old rag |
| Racket | noise | There sure was a lot of racket outside last night |
| Rack out | sleep | I am going to rack out for two hours |
| Rack | bed | I have to hit the rack by ten or i’ll be tired in the morning |
| Quick buck | some easy money | I need to make a quick buck |
| Quarterback | lead | Who is going to quarterback the meeting? |
| Put-on | deception | It was an elaborate put-on which i almost believed |
| Put the moves on | seduce | She is married, You should give up trying to put the moves on her |
| Push off | leave | I am going to push off now |
| Puke | vomit | I feel like i am going to puke |
| Psycho | mentally ill | She should be in a hospital, She is a psycho |
| Psyched up | mentally ready | The players are really psyched up for the game on Friday. |
| Prod | reminder | Can you give me a gentle prod next week so I won’t forget? Slang words in English |
| Pro | professional | He is really a pro at his work |
| Pop for something | buy | It is my turn to pop for the doughnuts |
| Pop | hit | Shut up or i will pop you |
| Pooped out | quit | He pooped out after we started to do the hard work |
| Plastered | intoxicated | He drinks too much and is always plastered on the weekend |
| Pit stop | stop and go to the bathroom | Let’s make a pit stop at the next rest area |
| Pig out | eat a lot or overeat | Let’s go to the restaurant and pig out |
| Pig | eats too much | He is a pig at parties |
| Piece of cake | easy to do | Working on a computer for me is a piece of cake |
| Pickled | intoxicated | He gets pickled after only one beer |
| Peanuts | practically no money | I am not going to work for peanuts |
| Paw | hands | Get your paws off of my body |
| Party-hearty | celebrate | We need to party-hearty because we just got a raise in salary |
| Party animal | love parties | You’re too old to be a party animal |
| Paper-pusher | bureaucratic office workers | My office is filled with paper-pushers |
| Pain in the neck | annoying | My wife’s best friend is a pain in the neck |
| Pad | a place to live | Have you found a pad yet? |
| Nuts | crazy | You are completely nuts if you think i will go with you. Slang words in English |
| Nut | crazy person | she think that he is a nut |
| Nuke | heat up in the microwave | I’ll nuke our dinner in a few second |
| Nuke | nuclear weapons | Does that attack plane have any nukes? |
| No sweat | no problem | It’s no sweat to have the report into you by Monday. |
| Nip | a quick drink | He took a nip out of the bottle |
| Nick | arrested | The police nicked the shoplifter as he was leaving the store |
| Negative | bad things | There are too many negatives about the company merger |
| Neat | good | That was a neat idea that you had |
| Nark | drug police | Watch out for the narks in the airport |
| Mush | nonsense | That is total mush and you know it |
| Move on someone | pick up and seduce | I am going to try to move on Sarah next Saturday |
| Mickey mouse | nonsense and a waste of time | The homework the teacher gave us was mickey mouse |
| Meltdown | total collapse | There has been a meltdown in the relationship between my parents and me |
| Mellow | calm down and relax | You need to mellow out and enjoy life |
| Megabucks | a lot of money | He made megabucks when he sold his company |
| Mega | large | I have mega amounts of tomatoes in my garden this summer |
| Mean | performs well on | He plays a mean violin |
| Maxed out | exhausted | I am maxed out at my work and need to rest |
| Make waves | cause trouble | Try not to make waves around the office |
| Love handles | rolls of fat around my stomach | I exercise every day, but i can’t get rid of these love handles |
| Loser | annoying and useless | John is a loser. Slang words in English |
| Line | story | I have heard that line a million times |
| Lame | an inadequate | That is really a lame excuse |
| Laid-back | calm and relaxed | You need to be more laid-back |
| Kook | strange people | Watch out for all the kooks in this neighborhood |
| Knuckle sandwich | punch in the mouth | Shut up or i’ll give you a knuckle sandwich |
| Knockout | stunning person | Who was that knockout i saw you with last friday? |
| Knocked up | pregnant | My dog gets knocked up once a year |
| Knock | criticize | Don’t knock it if you can’t do it any better |
| Klutz | stupid and clumsy person | He is a real klutz |
| Kick | enjoy | I get a kick out of watching him paint |
| Kegger | beer party | I hear there is a kegger at john’s house tonight |
| Keep one’s cool | remained calm | He kept his cool when his house burned down |
| Just off the boat | naive | He acts like he is just off the boat |
| Junkie | drug addict | Sam is a junkie |
| Joint | cheap bar | Where is the closest joint to here |
| Joint | marijuana cigarettes | He is good at rolling joints |
| John | bathroom | The john really smells |
| Jock | an athlete | My roommate is a jock for the basketball team |
| Jerk someone around | wasting my time and causing me trouble | Recently it seems like everyone is jerking me around |
| Jam | trouble | I am glad you got yourself out of that jam |
| Intense | serious | This is a very intense situation we are discussing |
| In the bag | There is nothing to worry about | Everything is in the bag |
| In deep | deeply involved | They are really in deep with each other |
| In | fashionable | The tie you are wearing is really in |
| I.d. | identification | Can you show me some I.D |
| Hyper | You know it isn’t true | Don’t get hyper about what she told you |
| Hyped | excited | The fans were all hyped up for the football game |
| Hustle | hurry up | If you don’t hustle, we will be late again |
| Hungry | eager to make money | If you are not hungry, you won’t get ahead in the business |
| Huffy | angry | I will do it soon so please don’t get huffy |
| Hot | stolen | The police stopped them because they thought the car was hot |
| Hooker | prostitute | Her clothes make her look like a hooker |
| Honcho | boss | The honcho says that we are going to have to give up two days of our vacation |
| Hole up | hide | I had to hole up for three days because the police were looking for me |
| Hit | successful | Your proposal was a hit with the boss |
| History | He’s history | I don’t have any idea where my old boyfriend is |
| Hip-shooter | always talking without thinking | He is such a hip-shooter |
| High | intoxicated on drugs or alcohol | The teenagers look high to me |
| Heave | vomited | I heaved up on the floor. Slang words in English |
| Have it all together | feel mentally all there | Recently i don’t have it all together |
| Have good vibes | feel good about | I have good vibes about our new secretary |
| Have a buzz on | was slightly intoxicated | I had a buzz on after the third martini |
| Hardware | weapons | The police were surprised by all the hardware the gang members had |
| Hang tough | stick with | We need to hang tough on our decision |
| Hang loose | relax | Just hang loose for another few days |
| Hang it up | quit | I have decided to hang up my teaching job |
| Hammer | accelerator | Put the hammer to the floor or we will be late for the wedding |
| Hairy | I am glad the storm is over | That was a hairy plane trip |
| Guts | courage | It takes a lot of guts to give the boss your true opinion |
| Gut | basic | The gut issue is about what we are going to do now |
| Gut | stomach | He got shot in the gut |
| Grungy | dirty | That is a really grungy jacket |
| Grubby | unclean and untidy | Those clothes are too grubby to wear to the party |
| Grub | food | Where is the best place to get some grub around here? |
| Gross-out | disgusting time | The party was a gross-out |
| Gross | disgusting | Picking your nose is really a gross habit |
| Groovy | pleasant | This music is groovy |
| Gravy | easy money | This job is pure gravy |
| Grass | marijuana | Lots of students smoke grass in the dormitory |
| Grand | thousand dollars | His salary is twenty grand |
| Gourd | head | Use your gourd to figure out what is happening |
| Goofy | silly | You are always acting goofy these days |
| Goof up | made a serious mistake | I really goofed up when i painted my room green |
| Goof | fool | I am really a goof at times |
| Go down | happening | What is going down? |
| Go bananas | go crazy | I am going to go bananas if i don’t have a vacation soon |
| Go | try | Let me have a go at solving the problem |
| Glitzy | fashionable | This is a pretty glitzy hotel to be staying in |
| Gig | job | I have a gig on saturday night from 7:00 to 10:00 |
| Get with it | hurry up | If you don’t get with it, we will never finish this work |
| Get it | understand | I listened to the joke twice+ but i still don’t get it |
| Get into something | became seriously interested in | I got into gardening in high school |
| Freebie | a free thing | The pillow was a freebie |
| Foxy | sexy | She is a foxy lady |
| Fox | very attractive | His older sister is a fox |
| Flip side | other side | What kind of music do you have on the flip side of the tape? |
| Flip out | lost control | He flipped out when he heard that his mother had been killed |
| Flick | movie | I haven’t seen a flick in a long time |
| Flashback | remembered | At the wedding he had a flashback of his old girlfriend |
| Flaky | unreliable | He is too flaky to do the work |
| Fix | dose of drugs | The addict needs another fix |
| Far-out | great | This music is really far-out |
| Earful | a lot of gossip | My grandmother gave me an earful about the neighborhood |
| Dynamite | powerful; great | This drink is really dynamite |
| Drag | boring | Doing homework on the weekend is a drag |
| Down | drink quickly | Let’s go to a bar and down a few beers |
| Dough | money | I need some dough before i can go christmas shopping |
| Dork | strange person | He is such a dork |
| Dope | drug | There are a lot of dope dealers around here |
| Dope | stupid person | He is such a dope. Slang words in English |
| Do a snow job on | deceive | Don’t try to do a snow job on me |
| Ditch | leave | I’ll ditch my younger brother with my grandmother |
| Dicey | chancy | Since the weather is a little dicey, i won’t go today. Slang words in English |
| Deep pockets | is a good source of money | Her boyfriend has deep pockets |
| Deck | knocked down | He was decked in the fight |
| Dead | quiet | This disco is really dead tonight |
| Damage | cost | Lets get the bill and find out the damage |
| Cut out | I have to cut out | It is late |
| Cut | dilute | Could you cut my whiskey with a little water? |
| Cushy | easy | He has a really cushy job |
| Cuffs | handcuffs | He put the cuffs on the killer |
| Cruise | going very fast | The skier was cruising down the hill |
| Croak | die | I feel like i am going to croak |
| Cream | beat | Our team creamed them badly |
| Cram | study hard | I need more time to cram for the test |
| Crack open a bottle | open | Let’s crack open a bottle for his birthday |
| Couch potato | lazy person | He is a couch potato |
| Cop | stole | How did you get the road sign? I copped it |
| Cool down | calm down | Things should cool down in a day or two |
| Cool | good | This is a really cool place to work |
| Con | deceive | Don’t try to con me |
| Cold fish | dull | My date for the dance was a cold fish |
| Clunker | old car | I can’t go on a date in that clunker |
| Clip | cheat | Watch out or they will clip you at that bar |
| Chow down | eat a lot | I need to find a place to chow down |
| Chintzy | cheap | That really was a chintzy present you got him |
| Chicken | coward | Don’t be a chicken |
| Cheesy | cheap | That is really a cheesy looking outfit |
| Catch some z’s | get some sleep | I need to catch some z’s before i go on my trip |
| Catch some rays | get some sunshine | I’m going to lie on the beach and catch some rays |
| Carb | carburetor | My motorcycle’s carb is out of adjustment |
| Can | bathroom | Do you know where the can is? |
| Call | prediction | The weatherman made a good call about when the storm would come |
| Buy it | die | If you don’t slow down, you’re going to buy it in a car accident |
| Bust | failure | The whole idea was a bust |
| Bummer | bad experience | My trip to new york was a bummer |
| Bummed | depressed | I was really bummed after i heard the news |
| Break it up | stop | Break it up, i will call the police |
| Break | opportunity | A lucky break helped him get the job |
| Bread | money | I need some bread to pay for my car |
| Booze | alcohol | I promised to bring two bottles of booze to the party. Slang words in English |
| Boo-boo | mistake | If you make another boo-boo like that, you won’t have a job |
| Bonkers | crazy | I think i am going bonkers |
| Bombed | intoxicated | The driver of the car was bombed |
| Bomb | bad | The movie was a bomb |
| Blown away | greatly impressed | I was blown away by his donation of a million dollars |
| Blow one’s cool | Don’t blow your cool | Calm down |
| Blow a fuse | loses your temper | Hey, don’t blow a fuse |
| Blow | leave | I’m going to blow out of here now |
| Blow | lost | He blew all his money gambling |
| Blimp | very fat person | I always seem to have a blimp sitting next to me when i travel |
| Blade | knife | He carried a ten inch blade with him |
| Big stink | big issue | The citizens made a big stink about the new nuclear power station |
| Big mouth | talk too much | Shut up! You really have a big mouth |
| Big gun | powerful people | The president brought two big guns to the meeting |
| Bent out of shape | become upset | Don’t get so bent out of shape |
| Bent | Don’t get so bent | It’s ok |
| Bench | taken out of the game | She was benched during the basketball playoffs |
| Beemer | car | She just bought a new Beemer to drive to work in |
| Beat | exhausted | After working all day i am really beat |
| Bashed | crushed | The boat was bashed beyond recognition |
| Barf | vomited | He barfed all over the seat of the airplane |
| Bad | intense | Wow+ that was really a bad movie |
| Antifreeze | liquor | I really need some antifreeze in me on cold days like this. Slang words in English |
| Ammo | ammunition | The gun was useless after the killer ran out of ammo |
| All-nighter | after studying all night | I almost fell asleep during the paper after an all-nighter |
| All wet | completely wrong | Your ideas about study are all wet |
| Airhead | stupid person | My brother’s boyfriend is a real airhead |
| Action | excitement | Do you know where the action is in this city? |
| Ace | very good | She’s an ace reporter |
