Memes dictionary
They Live Among Us
[th ey liv uh-muhng uhs]
What does They Live Among Us mean?
They Live Among Us was a December 2018 meme joking about various “evil menaces” that live among us (i.e., ordinary-looking people who are “monsters” for some unpopular characteristic).
Where does They Live Among Us come from?
On December 2, 2018, Twitter user @rudy-mustang cooked up a spicy new meme when he posted the following tweet, which condemned the marijuana smokers who “live among us.”
find the weed smoker:
👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿
👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿
👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿
👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿can’t find them?
that’s because they live among us, looking like normal people. the only real difference is they’re going to hell
— rudy mustang (@rudy_mustang) December 2, 2018
Based on @rudy_mustang’s replies to other users who failed to recognize his irony, the tweet was meant as a joke, hinging on the hilariously fearmongering phrase they live among us to describe marijuana smokers.
The phrase they live among us calls up films like They Live or The Thing to describe predatory aliens or monsters disguised as humans. Of course, the joke behind @rudy_mustang is that marijuana smokers are normal, everyday people who, obviously, “live among us.”
@rudy_mustang’s tweet quickly became a meme on Twitter. By December 3, Twitter users were already riffing on They Live Among Us by describing other scary “threats” that lurk among mankind (e.g., people who don’t eat their pizza with ranch dressing).
find the people who streamed 'shape of you' by ed sheeran on repeat
👱♀️👱🏾♀️👱🏼♀️👱♀️👵🏻👵🏻👱🏽♂️👱🏿♂️👱♂️👩🏼👩🏾👩🏿👩🏻👩🏻👩🏽👩🏾👩🏾👩🏻👩🏼👩🏿👱🏽♂️👱🏽♂️👱🏼♀️👱♂️👱♂️👱♂️👱🏽♂️👩🏿👱🏼♀️👱🏼♀️👱🏼♀️👩🏽👩🏽👩🏻👩🏻👱🏽♂️
Can't find them?
That's because they live among us, looking like normal people. The only real difference is they're going to hell.
— indie (@INDIEWASHERE) December 4, 2018
Find the people that dont like ranch on their pizza:
👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿
👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿
👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿
👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿Can’t find them?
That’s because they live among us, looking like normal people. The only real difference is they’re going to hell.
— Tyler Dempsey (@tdemps199) December 3, 2018
Although it has a similar name the meme is not connected to the popular multi-player online game “Among Us.” The two were born the same year, but the game didn’t earn viral status until 2020 when millions of people stuck at home due to the COVID-19 began battling one another in a space-themed game of wits.
That game is responsible for the slang term “pretty sus” taking over the Internet.
Examples of They Live Among Us
Who uses They Live Among Us?
The simplest variations of They Live Among Us maintain the form of @rudy_mustang’s original tweet but change the threatening or menacing group—that is, an unpopular opinion—who are right under our noses.
find the Chick-Fil-A hater:
👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿
👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿
👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿
👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿can’t find them?
that’s because they live among us, looking like normal people. the only real difference is they’re going to hell
— Benjamin A. Vorwerk (@bvorwerk) December 6, 2018
find the anime fan:
👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿
👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿
👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿
👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿can’t find them?
that’s because they live among us, looking like normal people. the only real difference is they’re going to hell
— carter (@rosebrews) December 3, 2018
find the pineapple pizza lover:
👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿
👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿
👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿
👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿can’t find them?
that’s because they live among us, looking like normal people. the only real difference is they’re going to hell
— william new years eve (@hoesayb_) December 3, 2018
Other memers go the extra mile and adjust the punchline of They Live Among Us to describe something desirable.
find the bean eater:
👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿
👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿
👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿
👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿can’t find them?
that’s because they live among us, looking like normal people. the only real difference is they are better than the average person in every possible way
— Good Bean Jokes (@goodbeanjokes) December 3, 2018
find the weed smoker:
👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿
👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿
👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿
👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿can’t find them?
that’s because they live among us, looking like normal people. the only real difference is they smell like dank
— 🇲🇽Fer🇲🇽 (@ComradeFer) December 3, 2018
Find the All American Rejects Fan
👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿👩🏻👩🏼👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿
👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿👨🏻👨🏼👨🏽👨🏾👨🏿
👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽👧🏾👧🏿
👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿👦🏻👦🏼👦🏽👦🏾👦🏿Can’t find them?
That’s because they live among us, looking like normal people. The only difference is when you see their face they hope it gives you hell
— MENTAL ILLNESS (@swiftie6969) December 3, 2018
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of They Live Among Us like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of They Live Among Us that will help our users expand their word mastery.