Jump to:

• mod
  mod

  adjective

  very modern; up-to-date; being in the vanguard in style, dress, etc.
• Mod
  Mod

  abbreviation

  modal auxiliary.
• mod.
  mod.

  abbreviation

  moderate.
• MOD
  MOD

  abbreviation

  Ministry of Defence

mod

¹ American  

[mod] / mɒd /

adjective

1. very modern; up-to-date; being in the vanguard in style, dress, etc.

2. 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

1. a person who is in the vanguard in style, dress, etc.

2. 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

1. an act or instance of modifying; modification.

---

verb (used with object)

modded, modding

1. to modify, especially a vehicle or mechanical part.

   The car was modded for speed and power.

2. Computers.

   1. 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.

   2. 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.

1. the moderator of an online message board.

   Notify a mod immediately if another member is harassing you.

---

Mod ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. modal auxiliary.

2. modifier.

---

mod. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. moderate.

2. Music. moderato.

3. modern.

---

mod ¹ British  

/ mɒd /

noun

1. 1. a member of a group of teenagers in the mid-1960s, noted for their clothes-consciousness and opposition to the rockers

   2. a member of a revived group of this type in the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their clothes-consciousness and opposition to the skinheads

   3. ( as modifier )

      a mod haircut

---

mod. ² British  

abbreviation

1. moderate

2. moderato

3. modern

---

MOD ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Ministry of Defence

---

mod ⁴ British  

/ mɒd /

noun

1. an annual Highland Gaelic meeting with musical and literary competitions

---

mod ⁵ British  

/ mɒd /

abbreviation

1. modulus

---

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

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

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

Clarence Williams III, who played the cool undercover cop Linc Hayes on the counterculture series “The Mod Squad,” has died in L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2024

Fast-casual restaurant chain Mod Pizza barely escaped bankruptcy when it was acquired in July by Los Angeles-based Elite Restaurant Group.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2024

Beyond the Mod Cate and the desolation that had once been the filmmaker and wharves, the river itself seemed to have taken fire.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Related Words

• fashionable
• stylish