Slang

Introduction
Development of slang
- Creators of slang
- Sources
- Linguistic processes forming slang
Characteristics of slang
Diffusion of slang
Uses of slang
Attitudes toward slang

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Collage spells African American English in cutout letters; at right, a large open mouth, a hand with megaphone, and chat bubbles with laptop.

At a Glance

slang summary

Quizzes

YOLO "You Only Live Once" written in bright colors and repeated on a purple background (acronym, slang)

Slang Through the Ages Vocabulary Quiz

A young boy dressed in retro 1980s attire, with bow tie and eyeglasses, wears a light bulb idea invention machine to help him think of the next big idea. (nerd, nerdy, thinker) SEE CONTENT NOTES.

Are You An Idiom Savant? Quiz

Hand with pencil writing on page. (handwriting; write)

Word Nerd Quiz

Related Questions

How can children revive slang words from earlier generations?
How can euphemism and taboo contribute to the creation of slang?
How can slang be used affectionately between close friends?
How can slang provide a more exact meaning than a standard-language word?
How did naturalistic writers help bring slang into English literature?
How did sportswriters help popularize the expression one for the book?
How did the meaning of uptight change after it spread beyond drug users?
How do acronyms become slang expressions?
How do borrowed words from other languages enter slang?
How do clipping and shortened words create slang?
How do foreign-language borrowings differ from newly coined slang words?
How do popular songs help spread slang and double meanings?
How does rhyming slang use sound and imagery?
How does slang differ from cant and argot?
How does slang differ from jargon?
How does slang differ from standard language?
How have changing attitudes toward slang affected dictionary-making?
Why can the same slang term have different meanings for different groups?
Why did the weakening of some subcultures allow their slang to spread more widely?
Why do dictionaries wait for widespread and sustained use before adding slang words?
Why do linguists study slang as evidence about culture and social groups?
Why do many slang terms disappear within a short time?
Why do older films and books sometimes make slang expressions seem outdated?
Why do slang terms often focus on everyday subjects such as body parts, food, and drink?
Why do social groups create and use slang?
Why do some slang words replace ordinary words even when standard words already exist?
Why do tightly organized subcultures sometimes keep their slang secret?
Why do writers use slang in fiction, drama, satire, and journalism?
Why does slang often lose its impact after it becomes widely used?
Why is it difficult to identify the original creator of a slang term?
Why is raspberry used as a name for an insulting sound?
Why is slang especially connected with age groups and changing fashions?
Why are there “designated survivors” during the State of the Union?
When did science begin?
Where was science invented?

Geography & Travel Languages

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External Websites

Public Broadcasting Service - Slang
Omniglot - Slang

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

slang - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Slang

linguistics

Written by

D.W. Maurer

Professor of Linguistics, University of Louisville, Kentucky. Author of Whiz-Mob: A Correlation of the Argot of Professional Pick-Pockets with Their Behavior Patterns and numerous articles and papers...

D.W. Maurer

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 9, 2026 •History

Slang, unconventional words or phrases that express either something new or something old in a new way. It is flippant, irreverent, indecorous; it may be indecent or obscene. Its colourful metaphors are generally directed at respectability, and it is this succinct, sometimes witty, frequently impertinent social criticism that gives slang its characteristic flavour. Slang, then, includes not just words but words used in a special way in a certain social context. The origin of the...

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