Hepcat
noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A jazz performer, especially one from the 1940s and 1950s. informal
- 2 A person associated with the jazz subculture of the 1940s and 1950s. dated, humorous, informal, often
"Everybody is asking, Why is Harry such a solid sender? Well, hear my version. As you are seated or are trying to stay seated you feel that sensation that hits every hep-cat. First your feet get the sensation, then it runs up your leg and you start to keep time to the music with your feet and you feel like getting up and jiving to that fine music that comes out of the magic trumpet of Harry James."
- 3 A sophisticated person, one who is stylish. dated, informal
"Finally the door opens and out comes Alex Aums in a sharp blue suit, like a hepcat, cigarette in mouth, squinting at us narrow-eyed, “O there you are,” to me, “how’ve you been? Wont^([sic]) you come in?” indicating the office."
Example
More examples"Everybody is asking, Why is Harry such a solid sender? Well, hear my version. As you are seated or are trying to stay seated you feel that sensation that hits every hep-cat. First your feet get the sensation, then it runs up your leg and you start to keep time to the music with your feet and you feel like getting up and jiving to that fine music that comes out of the magic trumpet of Harry James."
Etymology
From hep + cat, from hep (“sophisticated, aware”). Compare cat (“jazz enthusiast”). Attested in the sense of “sophisticated person” from the 1920s.
Related phrases
More for "hepcat"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.