16 slang terms Gen Zers are using in 2023 and what they really mean

  • The speed slang spreads through social media poses a challenge for anyone trying to keep up.
  • Members of Gen Z are using a slew of new terms, such as  "situationship" and "rizz."
  • Here are 16 slang terms, what they mean, and how to use them properly.

Insider Today

Slang once traveled solely through word-of-mouth, but the emergence of MTV in the 1990s fundamentally changed the speed at which slang expressions could spread outside of their communities, Robert A. Leonard, a forensic linguist at Hofstra University in New York, told Insider.

"[MTV] would have back-to-back music videos and every young person watched them," Leonard said. "Then, they allowed African American performers," he said, which exposed many viewers to a culture different from their own. 

"So much slang comes from African American English," he added.

The rise of social media has further changed how — and how fast — slang spreads.

"Even though slang has always existed, the emergence of social media has created a situation where the potential for slang virality has increased," John Baugh , a linguist at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, told Insider.

Not only has social media become a new and efficient pathway for the spread of slang, it offers different incentives for the creation of new words.

"What better way to become an influencer than to figure out some slang expression that can be spread and then traced back to you," Baugh said.

Here are the meanings of 16 slang terms that members of Gen Z are using in 2023.

"It's giving" can be used as a way to compare someone or something to another person or thing, or to positively describe the overall vibe of a person or thing.

travel heavy urban dictionary

Situation 1: "Her outfit is giving 2012."

In this context, the subject's outfit is being compared to an outfit that might have been worn in 2012.

Situation 2:  "Her outfit is giving."

In this context, "giving" is used on its own and carries a positive connotation — the subject's outfit is being complimented.

Source : Know Your Meme

A "fit check" describes the act of reviewing one's outfit. On TikTok, influencers often post their "fit checks," in which they announce the brand of each article of clothing they're wearing.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"I need to do a fit check before I leave for the party."

Source : Stayhipp

"Slay" describes something impressive — or, more generally, something positive — and can be used as a noun or an expression of admiration.

travel heavy urban dictionary

Situation 1: "Her performance at the Grammys was a slay."

Situation 2:  "Slay, girl!"

The term emerged during the 1970s and '80s amid Black drag and ballroom culture.

Source : Merriam Webster, Insider

The term "era" follows its typical meaning, but it is accompanied by a word or phrase that describes an activity or event by which the period was defined.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"I'm in my fitness era. I've been to the gym every day for the past month."

Source : Fast Company

A "gatekeeper" tries to control who has access to knowledge and opportunities.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"He wouldn't tell me where he got those sneakers. He's such a gatekeeper."

Source : In the Know

"Lit" is an adjective either used to describe a fun, high-energy situation, or someone who is intoxicated.

travel heavy urban dictionary

Situation 1: "That concert was so lit."

Situation 2: "I got lit last night"

Source : Insider

A "situationship" is a romantic relationship that isn't quite a full-on relationship.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"We haven't talked about our feelings or anything — we're keeping it casual. It's just a situationship."

Source : Healthline

To "ghost" someone is to stop replying to their texts or calls, often without explanation.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"Can you believe he ghosted me after our third date?"

Source : Psychology Today

A person with "rizz," a term derived from "charisma," is charming and puts themselves out there. The term is often used when referring to someone who can confidently and successfully pursue a potential romantic partner.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"That guy has rizz — he can get any girl he wants!"

Source : Dictionary.com

"Touch grass" is said to people who seem to spend too much time online and could benefit from going outside.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"Did you see his hot take on TikTok?"

"Yeah, he needs to touch grass."

If something is living "rent free" in your mind, it means it's extremely funny, amusing, or otherwise particularly memorable.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"That video was hilarious — it's living rent free in my mind."

Source : How-To Geek

"Vibe check" is usually used spontaneously to check in on someone to see how they're doing.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"Can I get a vibe check?"

Source : Mashable

"Tea" refers to gossip, or a piece of intriguing personal information. "Spilling tea" is the act of disclosing a piece of gossip.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"She just told me all about their breakup."

"Spill the tea."

A "bop" is a term for a great song.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"Cardi B's new single is a bop."

Source: How-To Geek

To act like a "main character" is to behave in a self-indulgent or self-absorbed manner.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"She won't stop talking about herself. She thinks she's the main character."

Another variation of the term is "main-character syndrome."

"He always needs to be the center of attention — he has main-character syndrome."

Source: Insider

To "sleep on" something is to ignore or dismiss its value.

travel heavy urban dictionary

"People have really been sleeping on this new song."

Source: Letters Lover

According Letters Lover , which analyzed the popularity of slang terms based on user votes on Urban Dictionary, "sleeping on" was the most popular Gen-Z slang term among users, with 93.9% of votes being positive.

travel heavy urban dictionary

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FluentSlang

Top 20 Slang For Travel – Meaning & Usage

Whether you’re a seasoned globetrotter or planning your first adventure, staying up to date with the latest slang for travel can make your journeys even more exciting. From “wanderlust” to “jet lagged,” our team has scoured the globe to bring you a curated list of the most trendy and essential travel slang. So pack your bags, get ready to explore, and let us be your guide to the lingo of the wanderlusters!

Click above to generate some slangs

1. Hit the road

This phrase is used to indicate the beginning of a trip or adventure. It can be used both literally and figuratively.

  • For example , “We packed up the car and hit the road for our cross-country road trip.”
  • Someone might say , “I’ve been stuck at home for too long, it’s time to hit the road and explore.”
  • In a figurative sense , a person might say, “I’ve accomplished all my goals here, it’s time to hit the road and find new opportunities.”

2. Globetrotter

This term refers to someone who travels frequently or extensively to various parts of the world.

  • For instance , “As a globetrotter, she has visited over 50 countries.”
  • A travel blogger might describe themselves as a globetrotter , saying, “Follow my adventures as a globetrotter exploring the world.”
  • In a conversation about travel , someone might ask, “Are you a globetrotter or do you prefer to stay in one place?”

3. Take off

This phrase is used to indicate the start of a journey or flight. It can be used for both literal and figurative departures.

  • For example , “The plane is about to take off, please fasten your seatbelts.”
  • Someone might say , “I’m taking off for my vacation tomorrow, can’t wait to relax on the beach.”
  • In a figurative sense , a person might say, “I need to take off from work early today to attend a family event.”

This slang phrase means to leave for a trip or vacation in a hurry or without much notice.

  • For instance , “She jetted off to Paris for a weekend getaway.”
  • A friend might say , “I’m jetting off to visit my family in another state.”
  • In a conversation about travel plans , someone might ask, “When are you jetting off on your next adventure?”

5. Get a little R&R

This phrase is an abbreviation for “rest and relaxation.” It refers to taking time off to relax and unwind from daily stress or work.

  • For example , “After a busy week, I’m looking forward to getting a little R&R at the beach.”
  • Someone might say , “I’m planning a spa weekend to get some much-needed R&R.”
  • In a discussion about self-care , a person might suggest, “Take some time for yourself and get a little R&R to recharge.”

6. Backpacking

Backpacking refers to a style of travel where individuals carry their belongings in a backpack and typically stay in budget accommodations or camp. It often involves exploring multiple destinations and immersing oneself in the local culture.

  • For example , “I’m going backpacking through Europe this summer.”
  • A traveler might say , “Backpacking allows you to have more flexibility and freedom in your journey.”
  • Someone might ask , “Do you have any tips for backpacking on a tight budget?”

7. Sightseeing

Sightseeing involves visiting famous landmarks, attractions, or points of interest in a particular destination. It often includes activities such as taking guided tours, visiting museums, or exploring natural wonders.

  • For instance , “I spent the day sightseeing in Paris and saw the Eiffel Tower.”
  • A traveler might say , “Sightseeing is a great way to learn about the history and culture of a new place.”
  • Someone might ask , “What are the must-see sights when sightseeing in New York City?”

Wandering refers to exploring a destination without a specific plan or itinerary. It involves taking spontaneous detours, getting lost in the streets, and embracing the unexpected discoveries along the way.

  • For example , “I love to wander through the narrow alleys of old cities.”
  • A traveler might say , “Wandering allows you to stumble upon hidden gems and experience the local vibe.”
  • Someone might ask , “Do you have any tips for wandering around a new city safely?”

Roaming involves moving freely and aimlessly, without a specific purpose or destination in mind. It often implies a sense of adventure and exploration, as one roams through different places and experiences.

  • For instance , “I spent the day roaming the streets of Tokyo.”
  • A traveler might say , “Roaming allows you to embrace spontaneity and go wherever your curiosity takes you.”
  • Someone might ask , “What are the best neighborhoods to roam around in London?”

Cruising refers to traveling in a relaxed and leisurely manner, often by ship. It can also refer to driving or moving smoothly and effortlessly through a destination, enjoying the scenery and taking in the surroundings.

  • For example , “We went on a Caribbean cruise and visited multiple islands.”
  • A traveler might say , “Cruising allows you to enjoy a stress-free vacation and explore different ports of call.”
  • Someone might ask , “What are the best cruise destinations for first-time travelers?”

11. Wanderer

A wanderer is someone who travels aimlessly or without a specific destination. It can also refer to someone who enjoys exploring new places and experiencing different cultures.

  • For example , “He quit his job and became a wanderer, traveling from country to country.”
  • A travel blogger might describe themselves as a wanderer , saying, “I’m always on the move, seeking new adventures.”
  • In a conversation about travel , someone might ask, “Are you more of a planner or a wanderer?”

12. Road tripper

A road tripper is someone who enjoys traveling long distances by car, often taking a leisurely route and making stops along the way to explore different places.

  • For instance , “We’re going on a road trip across the country and plan to visit several national parks.”
  • A group of friends might say , “Let’s gather some snacks and hit the road as road trippers.”
  • In a discussion about travel preferences , someone might ask, “Are you a road tripper or do you prefer flying?”

13. Travel enthusiast

A travel enthusiast is someone who has a strong interest in and passion for traveling. They enjoy exploring new destinations, trying new experiences, and immersing themselves in different cultures.

  • For example , “She’s a travel enthusiast who has visited over 50 countries.”
  • A travel blogger might describe themselves as a travel enthusiast , saying, “I’m constantly planning my next adventure.”
  • In a conversation about hobbies , someone might ask, “Are you a travel enthusiast? Where have you been?”

14. Explore new horizons

To explore new horizons means to venture into unfamiliar territories or to try new travel experiences. It refers to the act of broadening one’s travel experiences and seeking out new destinations or activities.

  • For instance , “I’m ready to explore new horizons and visit countries I’ve never been to before.”
  • A travel agency might advertise , “Let us help you explore new horizons with our unique travel packages.”
  • In a conversation about travel goals , someone might say, “I want to explore new horizons and step out of my comfort zone.”

15. Adventure seeker

An adventure seeker is someone who actively seeks out thrilling and exciting experiences while traveling. They enjoy activities such as hiking, skydiving, and exploring challenging terrains.

  • For example , “He’s an adventure seeker who loves bungee jumping and rock climbing.”
  • An adventure travel company might target adventure seekers , saying, “Join us for adrenaline-pumping experiences around the world.”
  • In a discussion about travel preferences , someone might ask, “Are you more of a beach relaxer or an adventure seeker?”

16. Travel aficionado

This term refers to someone who is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about travel. A travel aficionado is someone who has a deep love for exploring new places and experiencing different cultures.

  • For example , a travel aficionado might say, “I’ve been to over 50 countries and counting. Traveling is my biggest passion.”
  • In a conversation about favorite destinations , a person might ask, “Any recommendations for a travel aficionado like me?”
  • Someone might describe themselves as a travel aficionado by saying , “I spend all my free time planning my next adventure. I’m a true travel aficionado.”

17. Jet off to paradise

This phrase is used to describe traveling to a beautiful, exotic location, typically a tropical paradise. It implies a sense of excitement and luxury associated with traveling to a dream destination.

  • For instance , someone might say, “I can’t wait to jet off to paradise and relax on the beach.”
  • In a conversation about vacation plans , a person might say, “We’re jetting off to paradise next month for our honeymoon.”
  • A travel blogger might write , “If you’re looking to escape the cold, jet off to paradise and enjoy the crystal-clear waters and white sandy beaches.”

18. Travel the world

This phrase is a common expression used to describe the act of traveling to various countries and experiencing different cultures. It emphasizes the idea of exploring and broadening one’s horizons through travel.

  • For example , someone might say, “My dream is to quit my job and travel the world.”
  • In a conversation about travel goals , a person might ask, “Have you ever wanted to travel the world and see all the wonders it has to offer?”
  • A travel vlogger might say , “I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world and document my adventures on YouTube.”

19. Go on a journey

This phrase is used to describe the act of starting a new travel experience or adventure. It conveys a sense of excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead.

  • For instance , someone might say, “I’m ready to go on a journey and explore new places.”
  • In a conversation about travel plans , a person might ask, “Where are you going on your next journey?”
  • A travel writer might describe their latest trip by saying , “I recently went on a journey through Europe, visiting multiple countries and immersing myself in the local culture.”

20. Travel in style

This phrase is used to describe traveling with a sense of luxury and style. It implies that the person is not just focused on getting from one place to another, but also on enjoying the journey and making a statement with their travel choices.

  • For example , someone might say, “I always travel in style, staying in the finest hotels and flying first class.”
  • In a conversation about travel preferences , a person might ask, “Do you prefer to travel in style or are you more budget-conscious?”
  • A travel influencer might post on social media , “Traveling in style is all about the little details. From designer luggage to luxury accommodations, I always make sure to travel in style.”

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Jason Parham

What Happened to Urban Dictionary?

Hands place dictionary entries into an old book

On January 24, 2017, a user by the name of d0ughb0y uploaded a definition to Urban Dictionary, the popular online lexicon that relies on crowdsourced definitions. Under Donald Trump —who, four days prior, was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, prompting multiple Women's Marches a day later—he wrote: "The man who got more obese women out to walk on his first day in office than Michelle Obama did in eight years." Since being uploaded, it has received 25,716 upvotes and is considered the top definition for Donald Trump. It is followed by descriptions that include: "He doesn't like China because they actually have a great wall"; "A Cheeto… a legit Cheeto"; and "What all hispanics refer to as 'el diablo.'" In total, there are 582 definitions for Donald Trump—some hilarious, others so packed with bias you wonder if the president himself actually wrote them, yet none of them are entirely accurate.

Urban Dictionary, now in its 20th year, is a digital repository that contains more than 8 million definitions and famously houses all manner of slang and cultural expressions. Founded by Aaron Peckham in 1999—then a computer science major at Cal Poly—the site became notorious for allowing what sanctioned linguistic gatekeepers, such as the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster, would not: a plurality of voice. In interviews , Peckham has said the site began as a joke, as a way to mock Dictionary.com, but it didn't take long before it ballooned into a thriving corpus.

Today, Urban Dictionary averages around 65 million visitors a month, according to data from SimilarWeb , with almost 100 percent of its traffic originating via organic search. You can find definitions for just about anything or anyone: from popular phrases like Hot Girl Summer ("a term used to define girls being unapologetically themselves, having fun, loving yourself, and doing YOU") and In my bag ("the act of being in your own world; focused; being in the zone; on your grind") to musicians like Pete Wentz ("an emo legend. his eyeliner could literally kill a man"); even my name, Jason , has an insane 337 definitions (my favorite one, which I can attest is 1,000 percent true: "the absolute greatest person alive").

In the beginning, Peckham's project was intended as a corrective. He wanted, in part, to help map the vastness of the human lexicon, in all its slippery, subjective glory (a message on the homepage of the site reads: "Urban Dictionary Is Written By You"). Back then, the most exciting, and sometimes most culture-defining, slang was being coined constantly, in real time. What was needed was an official archive for those evolving styles of communication. "A printed dictionary, which is updated rarely," Peckham said in 2014 , "tells you what thoughts are OK to have, what words are OK to say." That sort of one-sided authority did not sit well with him. So he developed a version that ascribed to a less exclusionary tone: local and popular slang, or what linguist Gretchen McCulloch might refer to as "public, informal, unselfconscious language" now had a proper home.

In time, however, the site began to espouse the worst of the internet—Urban Dictionary became something much uglier than perhaps what Peckham set out to create. It transformed into a harbor for hate speech. By allowing anyone to post definitions (users can up or down vote their favorite ones) Peckham opened the door for the most insidious among us. Racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and sexism currently serve as the basis for some of the most popular definitions on the site. In fact, one of the site's definitions for sexism details it as "a way of life like welfare for black people. now stop bitching and get back to the kitchen." Under Lady Gaga, one top entry describes her as the embodiment of "a very bad joke played on all of us by Tim Burton." For LeBron James , it reads: "To bail out on your team when times get tough."

When I first discovered Urban Dictionary around 2004, I considered it a public good. The internet still carried an air of innocence then; the lion's share of people who roamed chat forums and posted on LiveJournal had yet to adopt the mob instincts of cancel culture ; Twitter was years away from warping our consumption habits and Facebook was only a fraction of the giant it is today. I was relatively new to what the internet could offer—its infinite landscapes dazzled my curious teenage mind—and found a strange solace in Urban Dictionary.

My understanding of it hewed to a simple logic. Here was a place where words and phrases that friends, cousins, neighbors, and people I knew used with regularity found resonance and meaning. Before Urban Dictionary, I'd never seen words like hella or jawn defined anywhere other than in conversation. That they were afforded a kind of linguistic reverence was what awed me, what drew me in. The site, it then seemed, was an oasis for all varieties of slang, text speak, and cultural idioms. (Later, as black culture became the principal vortex for which popular culture mined cool, intra-communal expressions like bae , on fleek , and turnt , were increasingly the property of the wider public.) It was a place where entry into the arena did not require language to adhere to the rules of proper grammar. As Mary B. Zeigler and Viktor Osinubi proposed in “Theorizing the Postcoloniality of African American English,” , it is the “cultural elite and their allies who help enforce acceptable codes of linguistic conduct,” which unfairly leverages social customs.

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Urban Dictionary's abandonment of that edict afforded it a rebel spirit. Early on, the beauty of the site was its deep insistence on showing how slang is socialized based on a range of factors: community, school, work. How we casually convey meaning is a direct reflection of our geography, our networks, our worldviews. At its best, Urban Dictionary crystallized that proficiency. Slang is often understood as a less serious form of literacy, as deficient or lacking. Urban Dictionary said otherwise. It let the cultivators of the most forward-looking expressions of language speak for themselves. It believed in the splendor of slang that was deemed unceremonious and paltry.

In her new book, Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language , McCulloch puts forward a question: "But what kind of net can you use to capture living language?" She tells the story of German dialectologist Georg Wenker, who mailed postal surveys to teachers and asked them to translate sentences. French linguist Jules Gilliéron later innovated on Wenker's method: He sent a trained worker into the field to oversee the surveys. This practice was known as dialect mapping. The hope was to identify the rich, varied characteristics of a given language: be it speech patterns, specific terminology, or the lifespan of shared vocabulary. For a time, field studies went on like this. Similar to Wikipedia and Genius, Urban Dictionary inverted that approach through crowdsourcing: the people came to it.

"In the early years of Urban Dictionary we tried to keep certain words out," Peckham once said . "But it was impossible—authors would re-upload definitions, or upload definitions with alternate spellings. Today, I don't think it's the right thing to try to remove offensive words." (Peckham didn't respond to emails seeking comment for this story.) One regular defense he lobbed at critics was that the site, and its cornucopia of definitions, was not meant to be taken at face value. Its goodness and its nastiness, instead, were a snapshot of a collective outlook. If anything, Peckham said, Urban Dictionary tapped into the pulse of our thinking.

But if the radiant array of terminology uploaded to the site was initially meant to function as a possibility of human speech, it is now mostly a repository of vile language. In its current form, Urban Dictionary is a cauldron of explanatory excess and raw prejudice. "The problem for Peckham's bottom line is that derogatory content—not the organic evolution of language in the internet era—may be the site's primary appeal," Clio Chang wrote in The New Republic in 2017, as the site was taking on its present identity.

Luckily, like language, the internet is stubbornly resistant to stasis. It is constantly reconfiguring and building anew. Today, other digital portals—Twitter, Instagram, gossip blogs like Bossip and The Shade Room , even group texts on our smartphones—function as better incubators of language than Urban Dictionary. Consider how Bossip's headline mastery functions as a direct extension of black style—which is to say the site embraces, head on, the syntax and niche vernacular of a small community of people. The endeavor is both an acknowledgement of and a lifeline to a facet of black identity.

That's not to say Urban Dictionary is vacant any good, but its utility, as a window into different communities and local subcultures, as a tool that extends sharp and luminous insight, has been obscured by darker intentions. What began as a joke is no longer funny. Even those who operate on the site understand it for what it's eroded into. The top definition for Urban Dictionary reads: "Supposed to [b]e a user-inputed dictionary for words. However, has become a mindless forum of jokes, view-points, sex, and basically anything but the real definition of a word." Where Oxford and Merriam-Webster erected walls around language, essentially controlling what words and expressions society deemed acceptable, Urban Dictionary, in its genesis, helped to democratize that process. Only the republic eventually ate itself.

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The Anatomy of the Urban Dictionary

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The Urban Dictionary is a crowdsourced website that records new words and their meanings. It began life in 1999 as a parody of Dictionary.com but has since become an important resource on the Web. Indeed, judges in the U.K. famously used the site in 2005 to help them understand slang used by two rappers involved in a dispute.

Part of Urban Dictionary’s appeal is its informal approach, which allows both definitions and descriptions of words. It even allows opinions, which can sometimes be offensive. It captures new words quickly and registers many of the variations that emerge over time. A voting system allows users to show admiration or disdain, revealing words’ popularity.

Today, many millions of users rely on the site to keep them up to date with slang, common usage, and popular culture.

travel heavy urban dictionary

Of course, Urban Dictionary has its shortcomings. In the absence of style guides, editors, and moderators, the content can be vague and inaccurate. Also, little is known about the people who post new words and whether the entries reflect real changes in the language or just those that affect a small subset of people.

So just how good is the Urban Dictionary at capturing new words, and how does it compare with more conventional approaches to producing online dictionaries?

Today, we get an answer of sorts thanks to the work of Dong Nguyen at the Alan Turing Institute in London and a few pals, who compare the Urban Dictionary and its content with Wiktionary, another crowdsourced dictionary. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic study of Urban Dictionary at this scale,” they say.

Wiktionary is an interesting comparison because it takes a much more formal approach to crowdsourcing. This is a sister site to Wikipedia, run by the same Wikimedia organization. It records only word definitions and employs guidelines about how these should be compiled. It also guides users as to what constitutes a definition. Moderators edit the content, control vandalism, and aim to generate high-quality results. Unsurprisingly, Wiktionary has also become an important online resource, one that researchers increasingly use for natural-language processing and so on. 

Nguyen and co begin by analyzing the Urban Dictionary content in the broadest terms. They say it records 2,661,625 definitions for 1,620,438 words and phrases. Most words have just one definition, but a few have upwards of 1,000.

The word with the highest number of definitions is emo , with 1,204.  And the top definition is this:

  • A terribly misconstrued and misused word. In contemporary culture it is utilized as a broad term to describe a multitude of children and teenagers who straighten their hair, have their hair in their face, perhaps dye it black, and wear tight clothing. Unfortunately this is completely inaccurate. Actual “emo” music existed in the late 80’s and was a subgenre of hardcore punk rock, after all, “emo” is a shortening of “Emotional hardcore punk rock.” The people in early emo bands dressed like regular people, everyday guys/girls who just played music that they enjoyed. Sadly, since the formulation and ongoing existence of Hot Topic, the term emo has been incorrectly characterized for a little more than a decade. You have to wonder how the original bands feel about the slandering and mass misunderstanding and misuse of their originality with those of the unoriginal.

By contrast, Wiktionary lists five definitions for emo :

  • A particular style of hardcore punk rock 2. An individual or group of people associated with that subculture and musical style. 3. Any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that is particularly or notably emotional 4. An individual or group of people associated with a fashion or stereotype of that style of rock. 5. A young person who is considered to be over-emotional or stereotypically emo.

The word with the next highest number of definitions on Urban Dictionary is love , with 1140. The other words in the top 10 by number of definitions are: god , urban dictionary , chode , C anada’s  history , sex , school , cunt, and scene .

In terms of popularity, upvotes slightly outnumber downvotes. But, say Nguyen and co, “there is a wide variation among the definitions, with some having more than ten times more up votes than down votes and some the other way around.” 

The team also compare the lexical coverage of Urban Dictionary and Wiktionary. It turns out that the overlap is surprisingly small—72 percent of the words on Urban Dictionary are not recorded on Wiktionary. 

However, the team note that many words on Urban Dictionary are relevant to only a small subset of users. Many are nicknames or proper names such as Dan Taylor , defined as “A very wonderful man that cooks the best beef stew in the whole wide world.” These usually have only one meaning.

So to study more common words, the team also compared only those words that have two or more definitions. In that case, the overlap is much larger: just 25 percent of the definitions appear only on Urban Dictionary. For example, the word phased  appears on both dictionaries as something being done bit by bit—in phases.

However, Urban Dictionary also describes several other meanings, such as “A word that is used when your asking if someone wants to fight” and “to be ‘buzzed.’ when you arent drunk, but arent sober.”

In this analysis, many more words appear only on Wiktionary, some 69 percent of them. Nguyen and co say that many of these are encyclopedic entries such as acacetins , dramaturge , and S hakespearean sonnets .

That leads the team to a clear conclusion. “In general, we can say that the overlap between the two dictionaries is small,” they say.

Urban Dictionary meanings also include opinions, unlike those on Wiktionary. One definition of beer is this: “Possibly the best thing ever to be invented ever. I MEAN IT.”

To work out what proportion of definitions these make up, the team had crowdworkers assess each to determine whether it was an opinion or a meaning and whether they were familiar with it.

They found that up to 50 percent of meanings for proper nouns were opinions and that the workers were unfamiliar with the majority of these uses. They also found definitions such as  coffee,  “a person who is coughed upon.”

In addition, crowdworkers found that much of the Urban Dictionary content was offensive, but that this cntent  tended to get lower votes.

“We also found that words with more definitions tended to be more familiar to crowdworkers, suggesting that Urban Dictionary content does reflect broader trends in language use to some extent,” say Nguyen and co.

The work provides a unique window into a website that has come to play an important role in popular culture. That should set the scene for other studies. In particular, an interesting question is whether online dictionaries not only record linguistic change but actually drive it, as some linguists suggest.

Perhaps something for a future research project.

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Pack Your Bags! 6 Current Travel Slang Terms To Take On Your Next Trip

Have you been feeling wanderlust lately? If so, you are not alone. Lots of people are looking to hit the road and travel as pandemic restrictions slowly lessen across the world. All of this vacationing and globetrotting is likely to lead to a whole bunch of trendy new travel jargon—either organically or as marketing pushes by a travel industry hungry for all those new travelers. While you start prepping for your own big trip, here are some examples of modern travel slang that you can stuff into your suitcase.

The word baecation simply refers to any vacation spent with your bae , your romantic partner. Baecation is often used in travel marketing and advertising of romantic getaways or destinations known as lands of love.

Baecation is a hybrid construction that combines the word bae with the end of the word vacation . The fact that baecation rhymes with vacation is an added marketing bonus. Baecation is formed similarly to the word staycation –meaning a vacation where someone stays home– which has become a mainstay of travel lingo.

friendcation

As you might have guessed, the term friendcation refers to a vacation spent with friends. A friendcation could refer to any type of vacation as long as you bring a buddy or two along. In marketing and social media, friendcation is often used to refer to vacation spots that feature group activities, such as hang gliding or nightclub-hopping.

As with baecation , friendcation is simply a hybrid construction that combines the word friend with the ending of the word vacation .

eduvacation

You know something that goes great with a vacation? Learning! The term eduvacation refers to a vacation or trip that involves learning about things. The term is broadly used and could refer to a wide variety of vacation destinations and activities, such as a trip to a famous museum, a tour of a cultural historic site, or a safari that teaches about animals.

The word eduvacation is a combination of the words education and vacation . Unlike baecation and friendcation , the entire word vacation makes an appearance because without the whole thing you would just have … education.

A familymoon is a vacation for a newly married couple—and their children. The term is used to refer both to couples that have had children with each other prior to getting married and to couples who had children from previous relationships. As you’d expect, familymoon is used in advertising and social media when referring to travel spots that are kid-friendly and have plenty of things for children to do.

The word familymoon is based on the word honeymoon , a trip taken by newly married couples. The family in familymoon refers to the couples’ children—their family. A similar word that uses the -moon suffix based on honeymoon is the fairly well-known term babymoon . A babymoon is a vacation that a couple takes to celebrate (and rest before) the upcoming birth of a baby.

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It is time to bridge the generational divide and go gramping . The word gramping refers to grandparents and their grandchildren going on vacation together. While this term can refer to camping trips, it is also used more broadly to refer to any kind of trip or travel that grandchildren spend with their grandparents. Similar to familymoon , gramping is often used to refer to places that are accessible to both children and older people and have plenty of things they can do together.

The word gramping is a hybrid combination of the word camping with the prefix grand- found in both grandparent and grandchild(ren) . It is formed similarly to the popularly used travel word glamping , which refers to glamorous camping in which a person brings luxuries on a camping trip.

Let’s get down to business and … go on vacation? The word bleisure is often used in the phrase “bleisure travel” to refer to a combination of business and leisure travel . The term is often used to refer to business trips that involve some form of enjoying oneself. This could involve things such as making time for a hiking trip, fitting in some sightseeing, or bringing the kids along to have fun in between video conferences. Bleisure travel has become increasingly popular in recent times due to large numbers of people having to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The word bleisure is an oxymoronic mashup of the words business and leisure . Bleisure is used to refer to trips that in some way combine getting work done while finding time to relax or do something fun.

These travel terms, as well as many others, are often driven by travel marketing. For example, you may see the newer travel term open-jaw flight , meaning a flight that leaves from a different city from the one that a person arrived in, alongside the well-known term red-eye flight , which refers to a flight taken during the sleep hours.

Given that it is in travel agencies’ best interest to come up with snappy, marketable ways to sell vacation packages, don’t be surprised if we continue to see plenty of new travel lingo to get us all gallivanting across the globe.

If you're planning to travel somewhere sizzling, include these words in your vocabulary bag.

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Travel-light vs travel-heavy: how much should you take on holiday?

Are you taking too much? Or not enough? Or just the right amount?

Travel-light vs travel-heavy: how much should you take on holiday?

Everyone wants to travel light. Almost nobody actually does. We all know someone who regularly goes on two-week long haul trips carrying only a small backpack. Do you aspire to that? Or wonder how they cope? It’s more typical to see passengers hauling incredible amounts of luggage around airports as if they’re going on some kind of 18th-century expedition into the wilderness. For anyone who regularly travels light, it’s a shocking sight. 

Taking things you don’t need across the world and back is absurd. It massively restricts your mobility, is a pain to shepherd around airports, and there’s a climate change kicker; every gram you take onto an airplane increases your carbon footprint and accelerates global warming.

However, it’s no good pretending that everyone can travel with just a spare pair of underwear and a credit card. How much luggage you need to take depends on where you’re going and what you plan to do.

  • Before you go on holiday, check out  T3's ultimate travel guide
  • Make sure you're  using the best suitcase
  • This is the  best carry-on luggage
  • These are the best backpacks

Have you ever come back from a trip away with clothes you didn’t wear? If so, this is for you. Here are six things to ponder before deciding to travel light or travel heavy.

1. Where are you going?

Trips to hot countries, especially if you’re just going to a resort, are prime for travelling light. Even if you plan to get a taxi/bus from the airport to the resort and stay there for a week, there are zero reasons to take anything but the essentials. If you plan to backpack around a hot country, nothing changes except that taking only a small backpack will save you some serious physical effort. However, if you’re going off skiing for a week or hunting for the northern lights in the Arctic Circle, travelling light is very difficult.

2. Cut down on shoes

It’s always shoes that stop people from travelling light. What if we go somewhere smart? Or decide to go to the hotel’s gym? Or an impromptu hike? A pair of flip-flops might be useful … and slippers would be nice for evenings in the hotel room. Stop! Prepare for every eventuality and your chances of travelling light are over. Now this will be easier for some people to do than others, but aim to take only one pair of shoes on a trip. It depends on what kind of trip you’re going on, but for backpackers, urban explorers and adventure travellers, consider a pair of ‘approach shoes’. Essentially low-sided hiking shoes, they’re smart enough to get you into a decent restaurant, and have the soles to get you up and down a mountain. Of course, you can always squeeze-in an additional lightweight option, such as a pair of flip-flops or collapsible canvas shoes, but any more than that and you’re being way too cautious. 

3. Who are you dressing to impress?

A smart shirt here, an extra layer there, and evening dress just in case. Why? The world is a really casual place. It doesn’t care what you wear (it doesn’t even notice), and to travel light you need to remember one simple rule; just take a change of clothes. Whether you’re going somewhere hot or cold, there’s no logical reason to have more than two outfits when space is tight. The world has washing machines, and if you invest in quick-dry, easy wash travel clothes, a quick hand-wash in a basin is usually fine. Take ‘travel underwear’, for example; it’s usually nylon, pretty comfortable, and its quick-dry design means you can travel with no more than three pairs. The difference that alone makes to how much you travel with is massive. If it’s your own vanity that’s to blame for your over-large suitcase, it’s time for a re-think.

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4. Everyone has a luxury item

Maybe it’s a pair of noise-cancelling headphones to keep you sane on the plane. Or a set of golf clubs. Or a piece of medical equipment you absolutely cannot travel without. It could be a big camera and a laptop if you’re a photographer (who are hardly known to travel light). That’s fine, and who would want to travel without the equipment that helps then enjoy a trip? However, it’s not an excuse to lack discipline elsewhere in your suitcase. Rather, it’s your reason you need to travel light; to make up for the extra weight you have to cart around the world.

5. Is ‘luggage shame’ next?

We’ve all heard of flygskam , a Swedish term that translates as ‘flight shame’, to describe how frequent flyers feel. Is ‘luggage shame’ next? The amount of fuel used by airlines is determined solely by weight. Let’s start with bodyweight. If you weigh 100kg then your carbon footprint when flying is a third more than a person weighing 66kg (losing 10kg won’t just help your waistline!). 

However, bodyweight aside, luggage makes a massive additional difference to your carbon footprint. If you’re taking two 23kg bags plus another 23kg as hand luggage on a long haul flight, that’s a huge additional carbon footprint.

6. The world has shops. LOTS of shops…

Are you headed to a remote outpost in Antarctica for your holiday? Unless you’re going off-grid, remember something that most over-packers have trouble with; the world has shops. LOTS of shops. Nowadays you can buy anything anywhere, and you know what? It’s fun. Shopping for something you really need in a strange place might mean you come home with a great souvenir from your trip. It will also probably be cheaper than anything you buy in the UK.

However, don’t make a habit of buying single-use items abroad only to sling them in the airport bin at the end of your trip. Just take what you think you need safe in the knowledge that, in an emergency, you’re really not going to struggle. 

The best-laid plans to travel light often come to nothing in the few minutes before you leave for a big trip, when many of us shove an extra pair of shoes and two more outfits are shoved inside a suitcase. If you can resist that, and stay disciplined, it's possible to wander the world unencumbered by stuff and with more freedom to explore … and with ‘luggage shame’ far from your thoughts.  

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Jamie is a freelance journalist, copywriter and author with 20 years' experience. He's written journalism for over 50 publications and websites and, when he's not writing, spending most of his time travelling – putting the latest travel tech through its paces.

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10 travel words you need to know

From vaccications to revenge travel, these trends are shaping post-pandemic travel plans….

  • Travel Specialist

Living through a global pandemic, we’ve been forced to lock down, learn new behaviours and constantly adapt, amidst a never-ending barrage of hurdles, out-of-nowhere curveballs, and an unclear and forever changing finish line.

We learned to be permanently flexible and our lives were quickly revolutionised as we all had to suddenly master the art of remote working, home schooling, virtual exercising, online shopping, video socialising and even ‘travelling’ in the digital world.

We even learned a whole new Covid-inspired vocabulary to keep up with the swift evolution of pandemic life. The year 2020 saw new words like ‘social distancing’, ‘self-quarantine’, ‘super-spreader’ and ‘contact tracing’, officially added to the dictionary.

Difficult times, unfailingly, bring out a unified sense of humour as a way of coping. We often rely on humour to get us through stressful times, so, not surprisingly, in addition to previously-unheard medical terms, a whole new Covid slang has emerged too.

Our lockdown lingo took on amusing words like ‘Covidiot’ (someone not taking the virus seriously), ‘coronacoaster’ (the ups, downs and mood swings of pandemic life) and ‘fattening the curve’, which needs no explanation.

These 10 Covid-inspired travel words are inspiring wanderlust and shaping the world’s post-pandemic travel plans.

1. Revenge travel

The concept here is simple. To use an Afrikaans word, people are ‘gatvol’ (fed up). We’ve been cooped up for more than a year, our wings seemingly clipped, and our pent-up, travel-deprived frustration continues to mount exponentially.

Dreams have been put on hold, milestones unceremoniously overlooked and the need to travel keeps intensifying. People are restless and they want to take revenge on the virus and reclaim their freedom. And so, in retaliation for the hardships and cancelled plans we’ve endured due to the pandemic, many people are planning longer, farther and more indulgent adventures.

Revenge travel is all about splurging and making up for lost time (and travels). If there’s one thing we’ll never lose, even during a global pandemic, it’s our desire to travel. You know what they say, “Living [and travelling] well is the best revenge.”

2. Vaccication

Not to be confused with a coronacation—basically the past year we’ve all spent at home, away from our offices, schools, loved ones, etc.—a vaccication is the one we’ve all been waiting for.

As vaccines slowly become the golden ticket to international travel, a vaccication is that long-overdue, well-deserved and no-expenses-spared holiday being planned for the minute you are properly vaccinated and deemed ‘safe’ to travel.

A note to those first-out-of-the-gate vaccicationers, (part of) the world is your oyster. Many of the planet’s most popular tourist hotspots are uncharacteristically quiet at the moment. Imagine having bucket list places like Machu Picchu , the Ngorongoro Crater or the vast plains of the Serengeti or Masai Mara (almost) all to yourself?

Don’t forget: despite that glorious, post-jab bulletproof feeling, remember that wearing masks, sanitising regularly and maintaining social distance are still required, so be sure to pack (and act) accordingly.

Some travel tips...

Choose a destination.

Once you’ve decided on a country, check out its most current border updates and entry/exit requirements regularly, as things can (and do) change frequently.

Research Covid protocols

Be sure to carry the required documentation, from proof of vaccination to Covid testing, and understand the potential entry/exit quarantine measures in place.

Ease of logistics

Until digital health passes and post-pandemic travel become a well-oiled norm, plan an indulgent longer stay in one destination, free from the hassles of moving around.

3. Friendcation

No surprises here, a friendcation is a much-needed, post-lockdown holiday with your closest friends. For the vaccicationers, it is an adventure with other friends who have also been vaccinated (aka, your anti-buddies).

For non-vaccicationers, this can be choosing to travel alongside a carefully-selected group of friends and family (your quaranteam) within the pre-determined safety of your own private travel bubble .

From sole-use accommodation to private transfers and activities, friendcationers can specify their desired level of privacy and safety, giving peace of mind to even the most apprehensive traveller in their travel clan.

Private travel bubbles

Exclusivity for everyone: opt for fully-private, semi-private or private activities only.

Small group journeys

Travel in the company of an intimate group of like-minded travellers on a set itinerary.

4. Gramping

As the older generation receives the vaccine and border re-openings slowly start to allow distanced families to reunite, multi-generational family adventures will become increasingly popular. A lesser-known, but equally popular travel trend is skip-a-generation (skip-gen) travel or gramping.

This is when the grandparents take the grandchildren on an adventure, leaving the parents (blissfully) at home. It’s no secret that the number of school holidays generally outnumber the days a parent can take off work, so this is a win-win for the whole family.

Parents get a well-deserved break from home-schooling (and parenting), while the grandparents earn some unforgettable quality time to really spoil the grandkids. Sure beats staying at home over the school holidays, watching mum and dad frantically work-from-home.

5. Always OOO

One of the more positive outcomes of the pandemic is the speed and ease with which our work lives have been completely revolutionised. For many, the traditional work commute and corporate office have become a thing of the past, and the WFH (work from home) movement has proven not only effective, but has quickly become the norm for many.

Never before has work/life balance been so crucial for our overall wellbeing and mental health. Thankfully, the resounding success of remote working has enabled the workcation, whereby digital nomads and remote workers can flaunt their ‘always OOO’ (out-of-office) status, while working and staying connected from basically anywhere.

6. Schoolcation

With this increased work/life flexibility, the workcation doesn’t have to be for parents only. Schoolcations have become increasingly popular for families, allowing both parents and children to remain connected to their work and school demands, while indulging in a desperately-needed change of scenery.

Remote learning is the souped-up version of home-schooling. It enables children to be active and explore, while maintaining a flexible schedule that balances outdoor fun with the necessary screen time to complete their projects and zoom classes. After all, Mother Nature is the greatest teacher of all, so an adventure-fuelled and Wi-Fi-enabled schoolcation is the perfect classroom for children to be immersed in.

7. Solomoon

Many solo travellers will agree that honeymoons are wasted on couples, while many couples will opt for the occasional holiday without their spouse for some healthy alone time. Enter the solomoon: quite simply, a honeymoon without the honey.

After enduring a year of pandemic life and shared work-from-home spaces, there’s nothing wrong with spouses taking an indulgent holiday apart. Nor is there anything wrong with a proudly single traveller crafting a honeymoon-like adventure-for-one, complete with all the spoils, blissful privacy and much-needed emphasis on self-care.

On the one hand, the pandemic has forced the postponement of countless weddings and on the other, it has inspired others to get down on one knee and finally propose. Either way, unforgettable and over-the-top honeymoons (and solomoons) are being planned, and many couples are opting for buddymoons in order to celebrate their union in style alongside their closest friends and family.

8. Zoombombing

Perhaps not a travel trend per se, but zoombombing can certainly get interesting (and enviable) from an ‘always OOO’ workcation.

Initially, zoombombing referred to uninvited people suddenly appearing on your zoom call. However, similar to a photobomb, the notorious zoombomb can also refer to the unexpected, unwanted and often embarrassing work-from-home disruption behind you when you’re on a zoom videoconference.

From shouting children, barking dogs and spousal cameos, to ringing doorbells, noisy builders and everything in between, we’re all learning to juggle (and forgive) the distractions.

Perhaps the ultimate zoombomb, General Manager Brendan Streak’s recent zoom meeting at &Beyond Kirkman’s Kamp in South Africa was interrupted by a pride of lions: “I don’t mean to interrupt this meeting, but there are lions on the lawn.”

This is Africa … expect the unexpected.

9. Quarantine 15

Similar to the freshman 15 during a student’s first year at college, the quarantine 15 refers to that pesky lockdown-induced weight gain experienced during the pandemic.

Go easy on yourself. A little bit of extra body cushioning wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen in 2020/2021. It is a global pandemic, after all. The prolonged stress, anxiety, grief and uncertainty all manifest in different ways for different people.

You can always shed those extra pounds/kilos after your long-awaited vaccication. But when you are (finally) on that first adventure back into the world of travel, don’t let the quarantine 15 nor the possibility of ‘lodge podge’ (there are seven official mealtimes at our safari lodges and camps) affect your enjoyment. Have that glass of wine, go back for seconds and savour the moment.

We have endured a global pandemic, the rest is secondary. Travel far, eat well and love every minute of your newfound (travel) freedom.

10. Quarantini

Last, but certainly not least—and also not a travel trend per se—the quarantini soon became a lockdown sundowner of choice. While you make plans to savour that first holiday (out-of)quarantini, surrounded by nature (and your quaranteam), why not make one at home to help inspire your travel planning and dreaming?

Reinee Ghosh, from our &Beyond India family in Delhi, shares her masala martini recipe, which forms part of a deliciously flavourful 3-dish menu for her virtual cooking class . If you crave the fiery and fragrant flavours of India, but can’t quite make it to the Subcontinent (yet), Reinee’s cooking lesson is a brilliant way to get your family/friends to connect and start getting excited for your next adventure.

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Slang for heavy.

As you've probably noticed, the slang synonyms for " heavy " are listed above. Note that due to the nature of the algorithm, some results returned by your query may only be concepts, ideas or words that are related to " heavy " (perhaps tenuously). This is simply due to the way the search algorithm works.

You might also have noticed that many of the synonyms or related slang words are racist/sexist/offensive/downright appalling - that's mostly thanks to the lovely community over at Urban Dictionary (not affiliated with Urban Thesaurus). Urban Thesaurus crawls the web and collects millions of different slang terms, many of which come from UD and turn out to be really terrible and insensitive (this is the nature of urban slang, I suppose). Hopefully the related words and synonyms for " heavy " are a little tamer than average.

The Urban Thesaurus was created by indexing millions of different slang terms which are defined on sites like Urban Dictionary . These indexes are then used to find usage correlations between slang terms. The official Urban Dictionary API is used to show the hover-definitions. Note that this thesaurus is not in any way affiliated with Urban Dictionary.

Due to the way the algorithm works, the thesaurus gives you mostly related slang words, rather than exact synonyms. The higher the terms are in the list, the more likely that they're relevant to the word or phrase that you searched for. The search algorithm handles phrases and strings of words quite well, so for example if you want words that are related to lol and rofl you can type in lol rofl and it should give you a pile of related slang terms. Or you might try boyfriend or girlfriend to get words that can mean either one of these (e.g. bae ). Please also note that due to the nature of the internet (and especially UD), there will often be many terrible and offensive terms in the results.

There is still lots of work to be done to get this slang thesaurus to give consistently good results, but I think it's at the stage where it could be useful to people, which is why I released it.

Special thanks to the contributors of the open-source code that was used in this project: @krisk , @HubSpot , and @mongodb .

Finally, you might like to check out the growing collection of curated slang words for different topics over at Slangpedia .

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Sex slang glossary: 20 naughty terms from rail to Netflix and Chill

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Sex slang glossary: XX naughty terms from rail to Netflix and Chill

To quote Salt-N-Pepa, let’s talk about sex , baby. Or, rather, let’s talk about how we talk about sex.

Whether it’s a euphemism used to shy away from talking about a topic that’s too taboo from some, or the complete opposite and a visceral, visual slang term that penetrates the mind, we’ve invented a lot of ways to start discourse around intercourse.   

There’s a popular tidbit about the Inuit people having over 50 words for snow, but we might have them beat for the different terms for sex.

Here, we take a look at some of the favourite phrases used to discuss doing the deed…

What does getting railed mean?

Let’s start off with one of the more uncouth phrases – since Google search results indicate a lot of people are curious as to what this particular saying means.

Getting railed, quite literally, means having sex – or, if you prefer to take the cue from Urban Dictionary, it means the act of having wild, wild sex.

Feet of couple in bed

So, making romantic, meaningful love, this is not.

Netflix and Chill

Netflix and chill has become the most common mating call for a modern day audience.

To Netflix and Chill implies putting on Netflix as background noise – or a convincing alibi – as you and your partner(s) engage in a bit of consensual fun.

Some of these terms get their names from the implication that a penis is involved in the act.

Lesbian couple

Boning is such a term – entering the lexicon most likely as an after-effect to boner becoming a popular term for an erect penis.

D***ing down

If you have been d***ed down, you have had vigorous sex – this one is fairly self-explanatory.

Clapping cheeks

Getting one’s cheeks clapped is a newer term which is rising in popularity.

The name comes from the idea that, when you are in the throes of very intense sex, bum cheeks could make a clapping sound.

Porking is another term people use forhaving sex.

why did they call it group sex and not parallel porking — tyron, the creator (@TyronWilson) June 29, 2018

We wouldn’t suggest Googling the term, but there are some who think the term came about because squealing, the sound associated with pigs, is sometimes the sign that sexual partners are having a good time.

Couple watching television together and eating popcorn

The origins of this term should be fairly obvious for anyone with, or who has sex with people with, a penis, sometimes colloquially called a shaft.

Nothing to do with the crime fighting cop.

This is a term most often associated with sexual acts between people who identify as men.

Breeding, or to be bred, generally means having unprotected anal sex.

There are too many to name, but other phrases for having sex that deserve a shoutout include:

  • Laying pipe
  • Taking the skin boat to tuna town
  • Getting drilled
  • Nutting/Busting a nut

Euphemisms for having sex   

In Human Nature, Queen of Pop and queen of never shying away from the subject, Madonna proclaimed ‘oops, I didn’t know I couldn’t talk about sex’ – and she was on to something.

Some people are more comfortable using gentler language to avoid any blushes.

Some euphemisms that actually mean having sex include:

  • Making love
  • Knocking boots
  • Hitting the sheets
  • Going all the way
  • Getting lucky

MORE : Woman reveals how to have an orgasm by rubbing your lower back

MORE : Mindful sex could give your sex life the boost you’ve been looking for

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Definition of travel

 (Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

transitive verb

Definition of travel  (Entry 2 of 2)

  • peregrinate
  • peregrination

Examples of travel in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'travel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle English travailen, travelen to torment, labor, strive, journey, from Anglo-French travailler

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing travel

  • travel trailer
  • travel sickness
  • travel agency
  • pre - travel
  • travel agent
  • travel light
  • see / travel the world

Articles Related to travel

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Dictionary Entries Near travel

Cite this entry.

“Travel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/travel. Accessed 27 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of travel.

Kids Definition of travel  (Entry 2 of 2)

Middle English travailen "torment, labor, strive, journey," from early French travailler "torment, labor," from an unrecorded Latin verb tripaliare "to torture," from Latin tripalium "an instrument of torture," literally "three stakes," derived from tri- "three" and palus "stake, pale" — related to pale entry 3 , travail

More from Merriam-Webster on travel

Nglish: Translation of travel for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of travel for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about travel

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time traveling ghost rider

Travel down a lonely road, traveling south on shaft highway, let's dress up and travel together, belize traveller one barrel rum, the air travel bubble hypothesis, travel-zombie syndrome (tzs).

IMAGES

  1. 10 Of The Best Urban Dictionary Definitions

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  6. Reading Urban Dictionary Definitions

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COMMENTS

  1. Urban Dictionary: heavy

    It can be a synonym for 'seriously' or 'for real' depending on the situation.

  2. 24 Slang Words Teens Are Using in 2020, and What They Mean

    24 slang words teens and Gen Zers are using in 2020, and what they really mean. Dominic-Madori Davis. These are the terms and slang words Gen Zers can't stop using. Kaspars Grinvalds/Shutterstock ...

  3. 16 Slang Terms Gen Zers Are Using in 2023 + Meanings

    According Letters Lover, which analyzed the popularity of slang terms based on user votes on Urban Dictionary, "sleeping on" was the most popular Gen-Z slang term among users, with 93.9% of votes ...

  4. Top 20 Slang For Travel

    1. Hit the road. This phrase is used to indicate the beginning of a trip or adventure. It can be used both literally and figuratively. For example, "We packed up the car and hit the road for our cross-country road trip.". Someone might say, "I've been stuck at home for too long, it's time to hit the road and explore.".

  5. Urban Dictionary: travel

    To move from point to point, often done at the spur of a moment.

  6. Urban Dictionary

    Urban Dictionary is a crowdsourced English-language online dictionary for slang words and phrases. The website was founded in 1999 by Aaron Peckham. Originally, Urban Dictionary was intended as a dictionary of slang or cultural words and phrases, not typically found in standard English dictionaries, but it is now used to define any word, event, or phrase. Words or phrases on Urban Dictionary ...

  7. What Happened to Urban Dictionary?

    Jason Parham. Urban Dictionary, now in its 20th year, is a digital repository that contains more than 8 million definitions and famously houses all manner of slang and cultural expressions ...

  8. The Anatomy of the Urban Dictionary

    January 3, 2018. The Urban Dictionary is a crowdsourced website that records new words and their meanings. It began life in 1999 as a parody of Dictionary.com but has since become an important ...

  9. 6 Current Travel And Vacation Slang Terms

    Baecation is often used in travel marketing and advertising of romantic getaways or destinations known as lands of love. Baecation is a hybrid construction that combines the word bae with the end of the word vacation. The fact that baecation rhymes with vacation is an added marketing bonus. Baecation is formed similarly to the word staycation ...

  10. Why everyone is searching their names on Urban Dictionary

    Social media users are flocking to the website Urban Dictionary as part of a new trend to look up their names and share their results online, which can be flattering or borderline offensive. Urban ...

  11. Travel-light vs travel-heavy: how much should you take on holiday?

    If you're taking two 23kg bags plus another 23kg as hand luggage on a long haul flight, that's a huge additional carbon footprint. 6. The world has shops. LOTS of shops….

  12. 104 Urban Dictionary Words & Slang for the Internet

    Ann Curry-ed — being fired unexpectedly and/or without cause. 3. Askhole — an individual who asks ridiculous, obnoxious or irrelevant questions (this is often chronic behavior) 4. Awesome ...

  13. 10 Travel Words You Need to Know

    From vaccications and revenge travel, to schoolcations and solomoons, these trends are inspiring wanderlust and shaping post-pandemic travel plans. ... 'self-quarantine', 'super-spreader' and 'contact tracing', officially added to the dictionary. Difficult times, unfailingly, bring out a unified sense of humour as a way of coping ...

  14. Urban Dictionary: Travel)

    Someone who travels extensively, either in the USA or abroad.

  15. Slang for travel (Related Terms)

    According to the algorithm behind Urban Thesaurus, the top 5 slang words for "travel" are: flux capacitor, itchy feet, wanderlust, midget, and reddit. There are 1454 other synonyms or words related to travel listed above. Note that due to the nature of the algorithm, some results returned by your query may only be concepts, ideas or words that ...

  16. Slang for heavy (Related Terms)

    Slang for heavy. As you've probably noticed, the slang synonyms for " heavy " are listed above. According to the algorithm behind Urban Thesaurus, the top 5 slang words for "heavy" are: burbsies, metallica, judas priest, iron maiden, and fabolous. There are 1311 other synonyms or words related to heavy listed above. Note that due to the nature ...

  17. Sex slang glossary: 20 naughty terms from rail to Netflix and Chill

    Some people are more comfortable using gentler language to avoid any blushes. Some euphemisms that actually mean having sex include: Making love. Knocking boots. Hitting the sheets. Going all the ...

  18. UrbanDictionary.com

    How to report and remove offensive definitions on Urban Dictionary. Getting the Urban Word of the Day in your inbox. Ranking definitions on Urban Dictionary. Report vulnerabilities on Urban Dictionary. Downloading the Urban Dictionary app. Managing your email preferences. Choosing Urban Dictionary's Word of the Day. Adding a new definition.

  19. Travel Glossary

    A small and stylish hotel typically situated in a fashionable urban location. Traveling with the intent to minimize costs. The division of passenger accommodation on an airplane (e.g., economy, business, first class). Staying outdoors in a tent, camper, or similar, often in a natural setting.

  20. Travel Definition & Meaning

    travel: [verb] to go on or as if on a trip or tour : journey. to go as if by traveling : pass. associate. to go from place to place as a sales representative or business agent.

  21. Urban Dictionary: (heavy)

    A synonym for "A lot" or "Seriously". It's used as a word to add emphasis to a noun or verb.

  22. to travel heavy definition

    V adv/prep. 6 n-plural Someone's travels are the journeys that they make to places a long way from their home. with poss, usu poss N. He also collects things for the house on his travels abroad. 7. → travelling. → much-travelled. → well-travelled. 8 If you travel light, you travel without taking much luggage.

  23. Urban Dictionary: travel

    Lyrics 1 I traveled down a lonely road And no one seemed to care; The burden on my weary back Had bowed me to despair, I oft complained to Jesus How folks were treating me, And then I heard Him say so tenderly, "My feet were also weary, Upon the Calv'ry road; The cross became so heavy, I fell beneath the load, Be faithful weary pilgrim, The morning I can see, Just lift your cross and follow ...