slang
noun
\
Definition of slang
(Entry 1 of 2)
2 : an informal nonstandard vocabulary composed typically of coinages, arbitrarily changed words, and extravagant, forced, or facetious figures of speech
slang
verbDefinition of slang (Entry 2 of 2)
: to use slang or vulgar abuse
: to abuse with harsh or coarse language
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from slang
Noun
\
adverb
\
noun
\
adjective
Synonyms for slang
Synonyms: Noun
argot, cant, dialect, jargon, jive, language, lingo, patois, patter, shop, shoptalk, terminology, vocabulary
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of slang in a Sentence
Noun
tends to use too much hacker's slang when talking to coworkers about their computer problemsRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
Army, playing off a slang term for the president that is popular at /r/the_donald. — Russell Brandom, The Verge, "Russian troll sites infiltrated Donald Trump subreddit as recently as this month," 24 Sep. 2018 The federal Drug Enforcement Administration this month released a list of slang terms commonly used to refer to street drugs. — Jaclyn Reiss, BostonGlobe.com, "The DEA just put out a new list of slang terms for marijuana, and some of them are pretty hilarious," 10 July 2018 Chewing Gum, the British comedy set on a council estate in East London, sparkles with slang that blows right past most Americans. — Jason Kehe, WIRED, "The Real Reason You Use Closed Captions for Everything Now," 26 June 2018 His writing is studded with Aussie slang that takes a few chapters to get used to, but his evocative descriptions of the outback need no translation. — April Austin, The Christian Science Monitor, "'A Long Way From Home' shifts from a lively 1950s travelogue to a darker debate over racial identity," 22 Mar. 2018 The voice with which Graham-Felsen equips Green, overseasoned with hip-hop slang, is the epitome of this. — Jonathan Miles, New York Times, "Bridging the Racial Divide in a Middle School Friendship," 15 Jan. 2018 Mexican artists are also incorporating more of their slang in tracks, something that wasn't prominent in past eras. — Marco Torres, Houston Chronicle, "Latino music exec at SXSW: 'Hold on cause we're already on this side of the border'," 16 Mar. 2018 This dad who just wanted to make up his own slang. 6. — Ariel Nagi, Seventeen, "12 Parents Who Tried To Text Like Teens And Failed So Hard They Won," 10 Mar. 2015 Her dialogue is peppered heavily with Hawaiian pidgin English and drug slang, and her characters feel ripped from life. — Jack Helbig, Chicago Reader, "Not One Batu feels torn directly from life," 5 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'slang.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Learn More about slang
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Please Don't Whinge About Being...
Please Don't Whinge About Being Knackered, You Prat
Some of our favourite British words
OMG: The Internet and the Dictionary
OMG: The Internet and the Dictionary
Slang in the Dictionary, Part Three
'Has Your Mother Sold Her Mangle?'...
'Has Your Mother Sold Her Mangle?' Slang and the Dictionary
Slang in the Dictionary, Part Two
Statistics for slang
Last Updated
6 Dec 2018
Look-up Popularity
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for slang
slang
noun
English Language Learners Definition of slang
: words that are not considered part of the standard vocabulary of a language and that are used very informally in speech especially by a particular group of people
See the full definition for slang in the English Language Learners Dictionary
slang
noun
\
Kids Definition of slang
: very informal words used by a group of people
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on slang
What made you want to look up slang? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Find the Cousins
-
- Which pair shares a common word ancestor?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share slang
Resources for slang