mod
adjective
very modern; up-to-date; being in the vanguard in style, dress, etc.
mod
1 American
[mod]
/ mɒd /
adjective
-
very modern; up-to-date; being in the vanguard in style, dress, etc.
-
Sometimes Mod of or relating to a style of dress of the 1960s, typified by miniskirts, bell-bottom trousers, boots, and bright colors and patterns.
noun
-
a person who is in the vanguard in style, dress, etc.
-
Sometimes Mod a British teenager of the 1960s who affected a very neat, sophisticated appearance and wore fancy clothing inspired by Edwardian dress.
mod
2
American
[mod]
/ mɒd /
noun
verb (used with object)
modded,
modding
-
to modify, especially a vehicle or mechanical part.
The car was modded for speed and power.
-
Computers.
-
to rewrite programming code in (a video game) in order to change the appearance or performance of the software.
I modded the game to increase the field of vision.
-
to modify (computer hardware), especially the physical appearance of the case.
I want to mod my PC to include LED lights and custom paint.
-
mod
3
American
[mod]
/ mɒd /
noun
Informal.
Mod
4
American
mod.
5
American
abbreviation
-
moderate.
-
Music. moderato.
-
modern.
mod
1
British
/ mɒd /
noun
mod.
2
British
abbreviation
-
moderate
-
moderato
-
modern
MOD
3
British
abbreviation
mod
4
British
/ mɒd /
noun
mod
5
British
/ mɒd /
abbreviation
Etymology
Origin of mod1
First recorded in 1955–60; by shortening of modern
Origin of mod2
First recorded in 1940–45; by shortening
Origin of mod3
By shortening
Explanation
Something that's stylish or cutting-edge can be called mod. Your mod haircut and outfit might make you feel like the most fashionable person in your neighborhood. Just don't leave your hood. Mod is informal slang for modern, and the two words can be used interchangeably. You can also use mod to talk about the specific 1960s subculture of young jazz and soul fans and motor scooter enthusiasts. Young men and women who dressed in stylish, sophisticated suits and mini skirts, who favored Italian scooters and danced at clubs to R & B music were called mods, originally in contrast to the grungier "rockers."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A few months ago, seeking a mechanic to mod my Corolla, I was referred to an auto shop in Garden Grove aka Little Saigon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
The r/FreeLuigi mod suggested that this was to placate advertisers, since Reddit is now suffused with customized ads whose vendors would prefer not to be seen as endorsing contentious topics.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2025
The mod she had in mind was eventually dubbed “African Dawn.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2025
It continued in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral, in a purpose-built, corporate building with all the mod cons.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2024
Her dress and shoes were snappy and mod, like Miss Honeywell’s, my soon-to-be sixth-grade teacher.
From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia
This last category of ’90s babydoll dresses, the ones that hung on the racks at Express and Rampage and Merry-Go-Round, weren’t Mod, weren’t punk, and weren’t Kinderwhore.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
She had roles in the TV shows “Bewitched,” “Batman,” “I Spy,” “Days of our Lives,” “The Mod Squad,” “Kung Fu,” “Sanford and Son,” “Ironside” and “Good Times,” among other shows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
The Mod was a mohair-buttoned masher on speed: a dedicated follower of fashion who lived for the weekend and rode a Vespa instead of a velocipede.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
Midsize chains including Blaze Pizza and Mod Pizza have closed locations over the past two years as they work to turn around their brands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
Wayne Nashend used to be one of the Upton Punks, briefly became an Upton New Romantic, but now he's firmly an Upton Mod.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
"I don't think I'd be fighting now if I met a mod. I'm 71," he said.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2014
Hence, in mod. dial. use: Earthenware, clay ... b. attr. or adj.”
From North Devon Pottery and Its Export to America in the 17th Century by C. Malcolm Watkins
Hence the mod. form "Tambour," which has been adopted by Turkey, e.g.
From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 14 by Sir Richard Francis Burton
The word “gravel” is adapted from the O. Fr. gravele, mod. gravelle, dim. of grave, coarse sand, sea-shore, Mod.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 4 "Grasshopper" to "Greek Language" by Various
"Ghaush" is a tree of hard wood whereof musical instruments were made; hence the mod. words "Ghásha" and "Ghawwasha"=he produced a sound, and "Ghaushah"=tumult, quarrel.
From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 14 by Sir Richard Francis Burton
“A thorough investigation found no evidence of MOD data or systems being accessed, compromised or transmitted externally,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Bailey has been working with the MOD to help them develop their support for women still serving and those leaving the forces.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
To get a sense of the shortfall, consider this: the Treasury is currently thinking of giving the MOD an extra £13bn or so over the next four years.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Whitehall often failed to resolve its internal tensions, both No 10 and Cabinet Office unable - or too weak - to manage repeated rows between Treasury and MOD.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Around the world, hackers were under siege—Par, Pengo, LOD and Erik Bloodaxe, MOD, The Realm hackers, Pad and Gandalf and, most recently, the International Subversives.
From Underground by Suelette Dreyfus
It also allows you to install modded versions of Android, called ROMs.
From The Verge ● Jul. 31, 2022
Kavanagh and a team of translators from across the globe got to work to turn their Irish modded version into an official localization.
From The Verge ● Jul. 16, 2021
When the Model T-Ford was first introduced in 1908 it was embraced and "modded" by rural farming communities.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 24, 2013
The controls to be modded for better game performance, it seemed, were endless.
From Forbes ● Jul. 8, 2013
It was possible for hackers to use modded visors to spoof their retinal patterns and thus create a second account for themselves.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
ModDB, another popular modding site, also deleted similar uploads to its site this week.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2022
Image: Reddit The mod represents an impressive technological advancement for the Nier: Automata modding community, which in and of itself makes the entire “hoax” worth it.
From The Verge ● Jul. 29, 2022
Others noted that Nier: Automata modding has not progressed to the point that whole sections can be created from scratch.
From The Verge ● Jul. 27, 2022
Pahunov and van Immerzeel both began their careers in the modding scene, for Morrowind and Unreal Tournament, respectively.
From The Verge ● Jun. 29, 2022
While Sony has lowered the power consumption of some previous PlayStation models to create slim versions, that’s a little out of reach for DIY and modding.
From The Verge ● Jun. 21, 2022
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