slang

¹ American  

[slang] / slæŋ /

verb

Nonstandard.

1. simple past tense of sling.

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slang ² American  

[slang] / slæŋ /

noun

1. very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more metaphorical, playful, elliptical, vivid, and ephemeral than ordinary language, as Hit the road.

2. (in English and some other languages) speech and writing characterized by the use of vulgar and socially taboo vocabulary and idiomatic expressions.

3. the jargon of a particular class, profession, etc.

4. the special vocabulary of thieves, vagabonds, etc.; argot.

   Synonyms:

   cant

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verb (used without object)

1. to use slang or abusive language.

verb (used with object)

1. to assail with abusive language.

slang British  

/ slæŋ /

noun

1. 1. 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

   2. ( as modifier )

      a slang word

2. another word for jargon 1

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verb

1. to abuse (someone) with vituperative language; insult

slang Cultural  

1. 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.)

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Usage

See informal.

Other Word Forms

• slangily adverb
• slanginess noun
• slangy adjective

Etymology

Origin of slang

First recorded in 1750–60; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

“They don’t let zeks go home,” he said, using the prison slang for prisoners.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Merriam-Webster promotional copy makes a point to mention the inclusion of the TikTok slang “rizz,” whose noun form is defined as “romantic appeal or charm.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"I've never actually realised, given how much we use it, that it's slang."

From BBC

But Dictionary.com -- which crowned it word of the year -- said it was Generation Alpha's joke on adults who are "once again struggling to make sense of its notoriously slippery slang".

From Barron's

Crosswords, for him, are arguments on behalf of things: of what qualifies as “common knowledge,” of what role puzzles should play in informing a citizenry, of how wordplay and slang snake into the mainstream.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• argot
• jargon
• lingo
• patois
• vernacular