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slang
1[slang]
noun
very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more metaphorical, playful, elliptical, vivid, and ephemeral than ordinary language, as Hit the road.
(in English and some other languages) speech and writing characterized by the use of vulgar and socially taboo vocabulary and idiomatic expressions.
the jargon of a particular class, profession, etc.
the special vocabulary of thieves, vagabonds, etc.; argot.
Synonyms:
verb (used without object)
to use slang or abusive language.
verb (used with object)
to assail with abusive language.
slang
2[slang]
verb
simple past tense of sling.
slang
/ æŋ /
noun
vocabulary, idiom, etc, that is not appropriate to the standard form of a language or to formal contexts, may be restricted as to social status or distribution, and is characteristically more metaphorical and transitory than standard language
( as modifier )
a slang word
another word for jargon 1
verb
to abuse (someone) with vituperative language; insult
slang
Expressions that do not belong to standard written English. For example, “flipping out” is slang for “losing one's mind” or “losing one's temper.” Slang expressions are usually inappropriate in formal speech or writing. (See jargon.)
Usage
Other Word Forms
- ˈԲ adverb
- ˈԲ adjective
- ˈԲԱ noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of slang1
Word History and Origins
Origin of slang1
Example Sentences
Asked why, she exchanged an exasperated look with the customer, before saying that “la migra” — slang for ICE — was popping up everywhere in the area, scaring off her customers.
Asked why, she exchanged an exasperated look with the customer, before saying that “La Migra” — slang for ICE — was popping up everywhere in the area, scaring off her customers.
Saunders said interpreting the messages was "a long and complicated process", due to the blend of coded language, Romany slang and Cockney rhyming slang used.
The word substitutions prove jarring even when they’re not veering off into raunchy slang.
The number 86 is a slang term whose definitions include "to reject" or "to get rid of", however, it has more recently been used as a term to mean "kill".
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Related Words
When To Use
Every single person uses slang in one form or another.Defined as "very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more metaphorical, playful, elliptical, vivid, and ephemeral than ordinary language," slang is sorta like the rebellious teen of our vocab.Appropriately enough, the origin of the word slang is unruly as well. The word is first recorded around 1750–60, and was used early on for the special, secret lingo of the underground, often referred to as thieves' cant.One now obsolete theory connected slang to sling, imagining slang as the kind of language that's tossed or thrown around. Another theory links slang to another sense of slang, meaning a "narrow strip of land," which became associated with the territory that hawkers traveled and their unique speaking style.Slang ain’t alone: it finds lots of company in other English words that seem simple but whose origins are not. Discover more in our slideshow “‘Dog,’ ‘Boy,’ And Other Words That We Don’t Know Where They Came From."
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