slang term
2
9.5
- noun
- /slæŋ tɜrm/
- Slang
:
término coloquial
- The word ghosting has become a popular slang term to refer to suddenly ending communication without explanation.
Or the generic slang term for a New Zealander.
- Or the generic slang term for a New Zealander.
- I always ask them what new slang terms are like yeet.
- Social media is a slang term for the current state of the Internet.
- He's calling it a coupe, the longue, which is like a redneck slang term for somebody with a mullet.
- Our first new teen slang term you may hear teen saying around town is Reefer Sutherland.
Examples
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Case in point: The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2015) recently added the slang term "baby mama" to its lexicon, which is defined as "the mother of a man's biological child; especially: one who is not married to or in a long-term, intimate relationship with the child's father.
Academic text (2016) -
In my school, we often use the slang term lit to describe something that's very exciting.
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Name a common South African slang term for hello.
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Hi Catherine, the slang term is "body farm."
Blog text (32) -
I always ask them what new slang terms are like yeet.
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So is the slang term "crybaby."
Blog text (28) -
Or the generic slang term for a New Zealander.
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The term "hoodie" soon became a slang term itself for the thugs wearing one.
Academic text (2011) -
Imposter syndrome is the slang term for insecurity.
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Our first new teen slang term you may hear teen saying around town is Reefer Sutherland.
Synonyms
49
7.9
Informal words used by a group and not for formal situations
5
7.2
A word or phrase people use in everyday speech, not formal writing
1
9.9
An informal word or phrase used by a group of people
1
9.1
An informal word or phrase used in casual speech, not for formal situations
How Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'slang' (informal words or expressions) with 'term' (a labelled word or phrase); a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer that it refers to an informal word or phrase. This simple noun+noun composition follows common English and cross-linguistic patterns for naming types of words, so it is immediately comprehensible.
Etymology
Slang term may come from old secret words used by small groups like thieves or actors who wanted a private way to speak. People kept special words between them, so a slang term today means an 'informal' word used by a particular 'group' rather than in formal speech.