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:
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
Then the company found itself up against a new mod, this time coming from Russia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2025
The lobby was blindingly bright, with porcelain floors and mod furniture in peppy colors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2024
In velvet they have the feeling of a Beehive, covered with feathers of a mod 1960s brushed do.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2024
Mrs. Raleigh called after her, her arms laden with outfits—all mod, I was certain.
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
Battery-powered submarine drones, called the MK18 Mod 2 Kingfish and the Knifefish, made by General Dynamics can be dropped in the water from a small boat and then scan for mines in a pattern.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 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
Scag Racing announced in April that Couture would drive for the team in the NHRA’s Pro Mod program starting later this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025
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
The word is adopted from the O. Fr. grape, mod. grappe, bunch or cluster of flowers or fruit, grappes de raisin, bunch of grapes.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 "Gordon, Lord George" to "Grasses" by Various
Hence in mod. tongue Kímiyáwi, an alchemist, means a coiner, a smasher.
From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
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
The O. Fr. guarden, garden, mod. gardien, from guarder, garder, is of Teutonic origin, from the base war-, to protect, cf.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6 "Groups, Theory of" to "Gwyniad" by Various
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
Bristow Helicopters, which operates the search and rescue base at MOD St Athan, said it had no record of him working for them.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The MOD says it has no jurisdiction over sites that are no longer MOD-owned or maintained, however any claims from current owners will be dealt with on a site-by-site basis.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
"Has thought been given to sharpening the pencils of the MOD lawyers," he asked.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025
When Par tried out the MOD password, it didn't work of course, because Gandalf had disabled the account.
From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette
Apart from the mix of aftermarket keycaps, I also replaced the switches with my own set of Kailh box silver switches that I’ve modded myself to be just a little quieter.
From The Verge ● Jun. 21, 2022
The durable controller is even intended to be modded, meaning you can open the case and install aftermarket buttons or a joystick if you’re so inclined.
From The Verge ● Feb. 15, 2022
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
A controller that could be modded for more accurate, more responsive gameplay.
From Forbes ● Jul. 8, 2013
I’d built it myself, piece by piece, inside a modded mirror-black Odinware sphere chassis.
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
In other VR modding news, the Half-Life 2: VR project is planning to go into public beta this September.
From The Verge ● Aug. 10, 2022
“Most of the work was heavily modding ReShade itself to convert it into a framework so it can do VR and growing the hooking and injection system,” he says.
From The Verge ● Jul. 1, 2022
While the games could scarcely be more different, Morrowind, an epic, fantasy RPG, and Unreal Tournament, a high-octane sci-fi FPS, modding allowed both creators to peer into the proverbial guts of these titles.
From The Verge ● Jun. 29, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
