Lifehacker has been following Gen Z slang for several years—long enough to give Gen Alpha time to develop and spread some of their own special buzzwords and lingo. Below is an alphabetical collection of slang terms, taken from Generation Z and Generation A, in case someone younger than you says something you don't understand. As with all slang, if you need an online list to know what a word means, you're too old to say it out loud.
Eat/Eat : Very well done, especially in terms of clothing. ie: "You ate that dress." See also: "Service"
Aura : People who are mysterious and cool are said to have "auras."
Bad Bed : Staying in bed all day. You probably know it as "lazy". See also: "Hurkle-durkle".
Bop : A girl who sleeps around. Also: a great song.
Brain-rot : A description of the overuse of silly slang. See also: "Skibidi"
Bubba Truck : A lifted or otherwise modified pickup truck
Chad : An attractive man; the "alpha male"
Chat : Refers to the host speaking loudly in the chat window. Saying "chat" in real life is a sarcastic joke.
Cuomo : A man who masturbates a lot
Corn : “Corn” is an algorithmic term that means “porn.” Used in online spaces, this term may result in your account being flagged or banned.
Colleague Core : A catch-all description of boring or uninteresting things in a way that appeals to older adults
Drew : Delusion
Doom : Someone who is overly negative and/or cynical
Drip : a trendy or trendy look
Edgar : A variation of the Caesar hairstyle popular especially among Hispanic men. Also refers to a person with a hairstyle.
Fanum Tax : Theft of food between friends. Named after streamer Fanum, who was known for "taxing" his friends by biting into their meals or stealing their chips.
Fent-fold : Describes the stooped posture in which people nod while taking drugs
Gamer dent: A temporary dent in someone's hair or skin left after wearing a headset for an extended period of time
Geeker : A person who takes a lot of drugs
Glaze : To praise someone excessively, usually insincerely, or in the hope of receiving something in return
Green fn : An exclamation that might be used when someone does something cool or impressive. Often used sarcastically.
Guning : Prolonged masturbation without orgasm in order to enter an altered state of consciousness
Gyatt or Gyat : Once an exclamation used when seeing someone sexy, such as "gosh," "gyatt" now means "attractive booty."
Hurkle-durkle: Based on an old Scottish word, "hurkle-durkle" means to lie in bed after getting up. See also: "Bed of Rot."
“That’s it”: the situation is hopeless. The opposite of "We're back." See also: "Doom."
Jelqing : Using stretching or weight lifting to try to increase penis size
Kit : A child. Used sarcastically online
JOMO : A play on FOMO (fear of missing out) JOMO is an acronym that stands for "Joy of Missing Out."
"Learn Chinese": Sports slang for failed athletes. They are in danger of being sent to play football in China, so they should "learn Chinese".
Maximizing Appearance : Maximizing one's physical attractiveness through personal grooming, exercise, and stylish attire. See also: "-maxxing".
-maxxing : A suffix used with any word to indicate an attempt at improvement. Meeting a friend can be called "friendmaxxing," exercising can be called "gymmaxxing," joking can be called "jestermaxxing," and so on.
Mewing : facial exercises designed to enhance jawline
Mirror sex : watching yourself having sex using a mirror
Mog: To be more attractive than someone, usually intentionally or aggressively. For example: "I was irritating this girl, but he walked in and totally confused me."
Neurospicy : Another word for “neurodivergence”
Opp : Abbreviation for "Opposition". Someone is out to get you. an enemy.
Regarded : "Regarded" means "retarded" in the algorithm
Rizz : As a noun, “rizz” means charm. As a verb, rizz or rizz up means to attract someone with your charm.
Service : Wear extra fashionable clothing. See also: "eat".
Service pussy : act in a powerful, unapologetically feminine way; kill
Skibidi Toilet : Named after the popular YouTube video series "Skibidi Toilet," "skibidi" itself has no specific meaning other than to mock the overuse of the slang term itself. See "Brain Rot."
Sigma : The "Sigma Male" is a strong and capable lone wolf, contrary to the traditional alpha male stereotype.
Sweat : Someone who works too hard, usually used in reference to video games. The adjective form is "sweaty."
Soyjack : Cartoon image of a castrated man with an open-mouthed smile and an excited expression. Based on "soy boys" or weaklings.
ghost : spooky
Forward : Stolen/Untitled Cars
Tradwife: believer in traditional gender roles in marriage
Unc : Abbreviation for "uncle", used to describe an older person. Example: "The status of the Class of 2024 does not match the Class of 2028."
Twelve : Police
Gemini : best friends.
"We're back" : Opposite of "It's all over"
Whooping : Describes an expression style common in online streams in which one talks endlessly and/or talks quickly without saying anything of value
Zoomer Perm: A hairstyle that is curly and short on the sides, popular among young people.
