slang | Meaning of slang in 15 languages with examples - infoAnew" /> slang" /> slang" /> slang definition" /> slang in a sentence" />

🤩 Discover new information from across the web

slang definition

Overview

This page has 39 definitions of slang with English translations in 15 languages. Slang is a noun, verb and adjective. Examples of how to use slang in a sentence are shown. Also define these 0 related words and terms: .

See also: Slang and släng

English slang definition

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

1756, meaning "special vocabulary of tramps or thieves", origin unknown. Possibly derived from a North Germanic source, related to Norwegian Nynorsk slengenamn (“nickname”), slengja kjeften (“to abuse verbally”, literally “to sling one's jaw”), related to Icelandic slengja (“to sling, throw, hurl”), Old Norse slyngva (“to sling”). Not believed to be connected with language or lingo.

Noun

slang (countable and uncountable, plural slangs)

  1. Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.
    • 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 26, in The History of Pendennis. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
      She was amused by his talk, which was simple, straightforward, rather humorous and keen, and interspersed with homely expressions of a style which is sometimes called slang.
    • 1996, James Lambert, The Macquarie Book of Slang, Sydney: Macquarie Library, page v:
      English-speaking Australians have always had a love affair with slang.
  2. Language that is unique to a particular profession or subject; jargon.
  3. The specialized language of a social group, sometimes used to conceal one's meaning from outsiders; cant.
    • 1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XI, in Middlemarch […], volume I, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book I, page 172:
      "Oh, there are so many superior teas and sugars now. Superior is getting to be shopkeepers' slang. / "Are you beginning to dislike slang, then?" said Rosamond, with mild gravity. / "Only the wrong sort. All choice of words is slang. It marks a class." / "There is correct English: that is not slang." / "I beg your pardon: correct English is the slang of prigs who write history and essays. And the strongest slang of all is the slang of poets."
  4. (countable) A particular variety of slang; the slang used by a particular group.
    • 2023, Jonathon Green, Green’s Dictionary of Slang‎[1]:
      [F]or a detailed analysis see Liberman (2008 157ff) who sees it as one of a number of terms found in pan-European slangs meaning concealment and/or cheating.
  5. (countable) An item of slang; a slang word or expression.
    • 1921, Horace Fish, The Great Way: A Story of the Joyful, the Sorrowful, the Glorious, New York: Mitchell Kennerley:
      Anyway, I have learned many slangs while I am in New York, and one of them, a remarkable slang, is sheister.
    • 2019, Hendi Pratama, Linguistic Politeness in Online Communication, Semarang: LPPS Unnes:
      The internet comes up with so many slangs used by people to survive in the online world. Many of those slangs are in the form of abbreviations, for instance, the word "u" which refers to "you"[.]
  6. (India) A curse word.
    • 2021, Sadan Jha, Dev Nath Pathak, Amiya Kumar Das, Neighbourhoods in Urban India: In Between Home and the City, page 82:
      Such attempts were made even more aggressive by the fact that these local women were known for picking fights easily and using slangs to verbally abuse their neighbours.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations
jargon — see jargon
cant — see cant
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Dictionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

slang (third-person singular simple present slangs, present participle slanging, simple past and past participle slanged)

  1. (transitive, dated) To vocally abuse, or shout at.
    • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “Miss Youghal's Sais”, in Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio Society, published 2007, page 26:
      Also, he had to keep his temper when he was slanged in the theatre porch by a policeman.
    • 1907, E.M. Forster, The Longest Journey, Part I, XII [Uniform ed., p. 130]:
      Stephen feared that he would yell louder, and was hostile. But they made friends and treated each other, and slanged the proprietor and ragged the pretty girls …
    • 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London, New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
      "If they had been a row of his favorite Pressmen he could not have slanged them worse."
See also

Etymology 2

Verb

slang

  1. (archaic) simple past of sling
    • 1836, Edward Bagnall, Saul and David:
      Before he slang the all-deciding stone […]

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

Noun

slang (plural slangs)

  1. (UK, dialect) Any long, narrow piece of land; a promontory.
    • 1610, William Camden, translated by Philémon Holland, Britain, or A Chorographicall Description of the Most Flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, […], London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press for] Georgii Bishop & Ioannis Norton, →OCLC:
      There runneth forth into the sea a certaine shelfe or slang, like unto an out~thrust tongue.

Etymology 4

Compare sling.

Noun

slang (plural slangs)

  1. (UK, obsolete) A fetter worn on the leg by a convict.
  2. (UK, obsolete, slang) A counterfeit weight or measure.
  3. (UK, obsolete, slang) A travelling show, or one of its performances.
  4. (UK, obsolete, slang) A hawker's license.
  5. (UK, obsolete, slang) A watchchain.

Further reading

Etymology 5

The same as sling which is also used in this sense. The vowel exhibits the lowering of /ɪ/ before /ŋ/ distinguishing for African American Vernacular English, as in thang for thing, but the word has spread with this pronunciation outside the accents that exhibit this feature.

Verb

slang (third-person singular simple present slangs, present participle slanging, simple past and past participle slanged)

  1. (transitive, African-American Vernacular, MLE) To sell (something, especially illegal drugs).
    Synonyms: sling, flog
    • 2014, “Bail Out”, Cdai (lyrics), performed by RondoNumbaNine ft. Cdai:
      Everyday I wake up gotta get back to the gwop
      Just another fuckin day in that gangway slangin rocks
    • 2016, “Call Me A Spartan”, TG Millian (lyrics), performed by Harlem Spartans (Blanco, Zico, Bis, TG Millian, MizorMac):
      Whip, whip in the trap do up kitchen that's food (that's food)
      Cookin up grub
      Fuck, these niggas cookin up soup (uhhhhh)
      Slang the crack or the black
      Put the light and dark on the move
      Gold and brown and cute
      Gyal love me and I love them too (too)
    • 2017, “Next Up?”, Digga D (lyrics), performed by 1011 (Digga D x Sav'O x T.Y):
      Bro I’m booky, I’ll take your food if my belly starts rumbling
      They rap about bootings, they ain’t blammed nobody
      Hold that properly when I bang that dotty
      I put sniff in a rex, and I slang that bobby
    • 2019 October 18, “Feed' Em”‎[2]performed by #SG Jibbzy, 1:17–1:23:
      Bro is in the kitchen, know he can’t cook
      He is whipping shit that we use to slang
      This fat prick wanna chat on YouTube
      still had to cheat to deny he’s gang

Anagrams

Afrikaans slang definition

FWOTD – 7 April 2013

Etymology

From Dutch slang (“snake, serpent”), from Middle Dutch slange (“snake, serpent”), from Old Dutch slango (“snake, serpent”), from Proto-Germanic *slangô (“snake, serpent”).

Pronunciation

Noun

slang (plural slange)

  1. snake; serpent
    • 1983, E. P. Groenewald et al. (translators), Bybel, Genesis 3:2:
      Die vrou het die slang geantwoord: “Ons mag eet van die vrugte van die bome in die tuin.
      The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden.

Related terms

Cebuano slang definition

Etymology

Borrowed from English slang. A false friend.

Noun

slang

  1. (colloquial, informal) twang, foreign accent

Adjective

slang

  1. (colloquial, informal) (usually of English speakers) Having a regional or foreign accent.

Czech slang definition

Noun

slang m inan

  1. slang

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Danish slang definition

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English slang.

Noun

slang c (singular definite slangen or slanget, not used in plural form)

  1. Language outside of conventional usage, slang.
Inflection
Declension of slang
common
gender 		Singular
indefinite definite
nominative slang slangen
slanget
genitive slangs slangens
slangets
Derived terms

Etymology 2

See slange.

Verb

slang

  1. imperative of slange

Dutch slang definition

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch slange, from Old Dutch slango, from Proto-Germanic *slangô (“snake, serpent”).

Pronunciation

Noun

slang f (plural slangen, diminutive slangetje n)

  1. snake, squamate of the suborder Serpentes
    Synonym: serpent
    Hypernym: reptiel
  2. hose (flexible tube)
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Descendants
  • Afrikaans: slang
  • Berbice Creole Dutch: slanggi
  • Negerhollands: slang, slaṅ
  • Skepi Creole Dutch: slanka
  • → Aukan: salan
  • → Caribbean Javanese: selang
  • → Indonesian: slang (“hose”)
  • → Papiamentu: slan

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English slang.

Pronunciation

Noun

slang n (plural slangs, diminutive slangetje n)

  1. language outside the conventional register specific to a social group, slang

Anagrams

French slang definition

Etymology

From English slang.

Pronunciation

Noun

slang m (plural slangs)

  1. English slang
    Twain fut un des premiers auteurs provenant des terres intérieures des États-Unis qui a su capturer la distinction, le slang comique et l’iconoclasme de sa nation.
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)

See also

Further reading

Indonesian slang definition

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /s(ə)laŋ/
  • Rhymes: -laŋ, -aŋ, -ŋ
  • Hyphenation: slang

Etymology 1

From Dutch slang (“hose”, literally “snake”), from Middle Dutch slange, from Old Dutch slango, from Proto-Germanic *slangô (“snake, serpent”).

Noun

slang (first-person possessive slangku, second-person possessive slangmu, third-person possessive slangnya)

  1. (rare) hose (flexible tube).
Usage notes

Rarely used to avoid confusion with the second sense (from English slang). The alternative form selang is used instead, and becoming acceptable.

Synonyms

Etymology 2

From English slang.

Noun

slang (first-person possessive slangku, second-person possessive slangmu, third-person possessive slangnya)

  1. (linguistics) slang, unconventional language.
Synonyms

Further reading

Limburgish slang definition

Etymology 1

From Dutch slang.

Pronunciation

Noun

slang f

  1. hose (flexible tube)
Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English slang.

Pronunciation

Noun

slang f

  1. slang
Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

Norwegian Bokmål slang definition

Etymology 1

From English slang.

Noun

slang m (definite singular slangen)

  1. slang (non-standard informal language)
Related terms

Etymology 2

Verb

slang

  1. imperative of slange

References

Norwegian Nynorsk slang definition

Etymology

From English slang.

Noun

slang m (definite singular slangen)

  1. slang (non-standard informal language)

Related terms

References

Polish slang definition

Etymology

Borrowed from English slang.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /slaŋk/
  • Audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -aŋk
  • Syllabification: slang

Noun

slang m inan

  1. (linguistics) argot, jargon, slang
    Synonyms: argot, gwara, żargon

Declension

Declension of slang
singular plural
nominative slang slangi
genitive slangu slangów
dative slangowi slangom
accusative slang slangi
instrumental slangiem slangami
locative slangu slangach
vocative slangu slangi

Derived terms

adjective

Related terms

adverb

Further reading

  • slang in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • slang in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian slang definition

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English slang.

Pronunciation

Noun

slang n (plural slanguri)

  1. slang
    Synonym: argou

Declension

Declension of slang
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) slang slangul (niște) slanguri slangurile
genitive/dative (unui) slang slangului (unor) slanguri slangurilor
vocative slangule slangurilor

Swedish slang definition

Etymology 1

From Low German and Middle Low German slange, from Old Saxon slango, from Proto-Germanic *slangô.

Noun

slang c

  1. hose, tube, flexible pipe
Declension
Declension of slang 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative slang slangen slangar slangarna
Genitive slangs slangens slangars slangarnas

Etymology 2

From English slang.

Noun

slang c

  1. (uncountable) slang (language)
Declension
Declension of slang 
Uncountable
Indefinite Definite
Nominative slang slangen — —
Genitive slangs slangens — —

References

Anagrams

Tagalog slang definition

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈslaŋ/, [ʔɪsˈlaŋ]

Noun

slang (Baybayin spelling ᜐ᜔ᜎᜅ᜔)

  1. Alternative form of islang

Adjective

slang (Baybayin spelling ᜐ᜔ᜎᜅ᜔)

  1. Alternative form of islang

West Frisian slang definition

Etymology

From Old Frisian *slanga, from Proto-Germanic *slangô.

Pronunciation

Noun

slang c (plural slangen, diminutive slankje)

  1. snake

Alternative forms

Further reading

  • “slang”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=slang&oldid=76260174"