SLANG

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does slang mean? 

• SLANG (noun)
  The noun SLANG has 2 senses:

1. informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions; often vituperative or vulgar

2. a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)

  Familiarity information: SLANG used as a noun is rare.

• SLANG (verb)
  The verb SLANG has 3 senses:

1. use slang or vulgar language

2. fool or hoax

3. abuse with coarse language

  Familiarity information: SLANG used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SLANG (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions; often vituperative or vulgar

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

slang; slang expression; slang term

Context example:

their speech was full of slang expressions

Hypernyms ("slang" is a kind of...):

non-standard speech (speech that differs from the usual accepted, easily recognizable speech of native adult members of a speech community)

Derivation:

slang (abuse with coarse language)

slang (use slang or vulgar language)

slangy (constituting or expressed in slang or given to the use of slang)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

argot; cant; jargon; lingo; patois; slang; vernacular

Context example:

they don't speak our lingo

Hypernyms ("slang" is a kind of...):

non-standard speech (speech that differs from the usual accepted, easily recognizable speech of native adult members of a speech community)

Domain member usage:

suit ((slang) a businessman dressed in a business suit)

the shits; the trots (obscene terms for diarrhea)

juice (energetic vitality)

skinful (a quantity of alcoholic drink sufficient to make you drunk)

key (a kilogram of a narcotic drug)

big bucks; big money; bundle; megabucks; pile (a large sum of money (especially as pay or profit))

juice (electric current)

wog ((offensive British slang) term used by the British to refer to people of color from Africa or Asia)

tripper ((slang) someone who has taken a psychedelic drug and is undergoing hallucinations)

heebie-jeebies; jitters; screaming meemies (extreme nervousness)

squeeze ((slang) a person's girlfriend or boyfriend)

schlockmeister; shlockmeister ((slang) a merchant who deals in shoddy or inferior merchandise)

out-and-outer (someone who is excellent at something)

old man ((slang) boss)

guvnor ((British slang) boss)

good egg ((old-fashioned slang) a good person)

butch; dike; dyke ((slang) offensive term for a lesbian who is noticeably masculine)

boffin ((British slang) a scientist or technician engaged in military research)

bad egg ((old-fashioned slang) a bad person)

airhead (a flighty scatterbrained simpleton)

freaky (strange and somewhat frightening)

drop-dead (extremely)

clean; plum; plumb (completely; used as intensifiers)

slam-bang (violent and sudden and noisy)

pint-size; pint-sized; runty; sawed-off; sawn-off (well below average height)

bolshy; stroppy (obstreperous)

mean (excellent)

some (remarkable)

grotty (very unpleasant or offensive)

butch ((of male or female homosexuals) characterized by stereotypically male traits or appearance)

uncool ((spoken slang) unfashionable and boring)

swiz (British slang for a swindle)

can-do (marked by a willingness to tackle a job and get it done)

besotted; blind drunk; blotto; cockeyed; crocked; fuddled; loaded; pie-eyed; pissed; pixilated; plastered; slopped; sloshed; smashed; soaked; soused; sozzled; squiffy; stiff; tight; wet (very drunk)

square; straight (rigidly conventional or old-fashioned)

bunk off; play hooky (play truant from work or school)

chuck; ditch (throw away)

hoof (dance in a professional capacity)

feel (pass one's hands over the sexual organs of)

buy it; pip out (be killed or die)

give (occur)

bitch (an unpleasant difficulty)

shakedown (a very thorough search of a person or a place)

arse; arsehole; asshole; bunghole (vulgar slang for anus)

soup-strainer; toothbrush (slang for a mustache)

legs (staying power)

cert (an absolute certainty)

dreck; schlock; shlock (merchandise that is shoddy or inferior)

nick ((British slang) a prison)

Mickey Finn (slang term for knockout drops)

gat; rod (a gangster's pistol)

deck (street name for a packet of illegal drugs)

caff (informal British term for a cafe)

spic; spick; spik ((ethnic slur) offensive term for persons of Latin American descent)

square-bashing (drill on a barracks square)

dekko (British slang for a look)

hand job; jacking off; jerking off; wank (slang for masturbation)

blowjob; cock sucking (slang for fellatio)

ass; fuck; fucking; nookie; nooky; piece of ass; piece of tail; roll in the hay; screw; screwing; shag; shtup (slang for sexual intercourse)

power trip ((slang) a self-aggrandizing action undertaken simply for the pleasure of exercising control over other people)

shakedown (extortion of money (as by blackmail))

heist; rip-off (the act of stealing)

bite (a portion removed from the whole)

niff; pong (an unpleasant smell)

Boche; Hun; Jerry; Kraut; Krauthead (offensive term for a person of German descent)

Jap; Nip ((offensive slang) offensive term for a person of Japanese descent)

dago; ginzo; greaseball; Guinea; wop ((ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Italian descent)

Chinaman; chink ((ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Chinese descent)

hymie; kike; sheeny; yid ((ethnic slur) offensive term for a Jew)

Injun; red man; Redskin ((slang) offensive term for Native Americans)

honkey; honkie; honky; whitey ((slang) offensive names for a White man)

poor white trash; white trash ((slang) an offensive term for White people who are impoverished)

'hood; hood ((slang) a neighborhood)

nosh-up (a large satisfying meal)

burnup (a high-speed motorcycle race on a public road)

bun-fight; bunfight ((Briticism) a grand formal party on an important occasion)

dibs (a claim of rights)

skin flick (a pornographic movie)

applesauce; codswallop; folderol; rubbish; trash; tripe; trumpery; wish-wash (nonsensical talk or writing)

baloney; bilgewater; boloney; bosh; drool; humbug; taradiddle; tarradiddle; tommyrot; tosh; twaddle (pretentious or silly talk or writing)

hooey; poppycock; stuff; stuff and nonsense (senseless talk)

corker ((dated slang) a remarkable or excellent thing or person)

bay window; corporation; pot; potbelly; tummy (slang for a paunch)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "slang"):

street name (slang for something (especially for an illegal drug))

rhyming slang (slang that replaces words with rhyming words or expressions and then typically omits the rhyming component)

Derivation:

slang (use slang or vulgar language)

slangy (constituting or expressed in slang or given to the use of slang)

Domain member usage:

baddie (the principal bad character in a film or work of fiction)

bennie (a form of amphetamine)

cat (a large tracked vehicle that is propelled by two endless metal belts; frequently used for moving earth in construction and farm work)

stiff (the dead body of a human being)

• SLANG (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they slang    ... he / she / it slangs   
Past simple: slanged   
Past participle: slanged   
-ing form: slanging   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Use slang or vulgar language

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "slang" is one way to...):

speak; talk (use language)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

slang (a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves))

slang (informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions; often vituperative or vulgar)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Fool or hoax

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

befool; cod; dupe; fool; gull; put on; put one across; put one over; slang; take in

Context example:

You can't fool me!

Hypernyms (to "slang" is one way to...):

betray; deceive; lead astray (cause someone to believe an untruth)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "slang"):

kid; pull the leg of (tell false information to for fun)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 3

Meaning:

Abuse with coarse language

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "slang" is one way to...):

abuse; blackguard; clapperclaw; shout (use foul or abusive language towards)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

slang (informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions; often vituperative or vulgar)

 Context examples 

Dress is a bore. That is slang again, but never mind; Arthur says that every day.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

If they had been a row of his favorite Pressmen he could not have slanged them worse.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I know I must talk a lot of slang an' words you don't understand.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

But your absurd words are as bad as Jo's slang.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

In ring slang, they buffed well.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Lady St. Simon said something about ‘jumping a claim.’ She was accustomed to use slang of the kind.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

But this is a way slang has.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

In his avoidance of slang and his search after right words, Martin was compelled to talk slowly, which enabled him to find the best thoughts that were in him.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

American slang is very expressive sometimes.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"No slang," snapped Jo, slamming down the pillow.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)