What does "slang" mean?
Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.
Slang
/slæŋ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.
- Grammar: slang is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: cant, jargon, lingo, slang term.
- Useful contrasts: academic expression, academic vocabulary, common language.
- Usage evidence: Don't use slang if you can help it.
How to use "slang"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "slang" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "slang" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "slang" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "slang" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "slang" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cant" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "slang", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register. countable, uncountable
"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."
- 2 Any long, narrow piece of land; a promontory. UK, dialectal
"There runneth forth into the sea a certaine shelfe or slang, like unto an out~thrust tongue."
- 3 A fetter worn on the leg by a convict. UK, obsolete
- 4 a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves) wordnet
- 5 Language that is unique to a particular profession or subject; jargon. countable, uncountable
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 A counterfeit weight or measure. UK, obsolete, slang
- 7 informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions; often vituperative or vulgar wordnet
- 8 The specialized language of a social group, sometimes used to conceal one's meaning from outsiders; cant. countable, uncountable
""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.""
- 9 A travelling show, or one of its performances. UK, obsolete, slang
- 10 A particular variety of slang; the slang used by a particular group. countable
"[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."
- 11 A hawker's license. UK, obsolete, slang
- 12 An item of slang; a slang word or expression. countable
"Anyway, I have learned many slangs while I am in New York, and one of them, a remarkable slang, is sheister."
- 13 A watchchain. UK, obsolete, slang
- 14 A curse word. India, countable
"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."
Verb
- 1 To vocally abuse, or shout at. dated, transitive
"Also, he had to keep his temper when he was slanged in the theatre porch by a policeman."
- 2 simple past of sling archaic, form-of, past
"Before he slang the all-deciding stone[…]"
- 3 To sell (something, especially illegal drugs). Multicultural-London-English, transitive
"Everyday I wake up gotta get back to the gwop Just another fuckin day in that gangway slangin rocks"
- 4 abuse with coarse language wordnet
- 5 fool or hoax wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 use slang or vulgar language wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
academic expressionacademic vocabularycommon languageeducational language
Example
"Don't use slang if you can help it."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "slang"?
Common synonyms include: cant, jargon, lingo, slang term, vernacular, aesopian language.
How do you use "slang" in a sentence?
Don't use slang if you can help it.
How do you pronounce "slang"?
Pronounced /slæŋ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
First use appears c. 1756, meaning "special vocabulary of tramps or thieves", origin unknown. Not believed to be connected with language or lingo. Possibly derived from a North Germanic source, then possibly related to Nordic language: Danish slænge, Icelandic and Norwegian Nynorsk slengja, Norwegian slenge, Swedish slänga (“to (carelessly) sling, throw, hurl; throw away, to dispose of; to flail”), with derivational nouns such as slæng, sleng, släng etc. Compare the compound: Danish slængenavn, Norwegian slengenavn, Norwegian Nynorsk slengenamn, Swedish slängnamn (“nickname, byname, informal name”, literally “sling-name”), and the phrases: Norwegian Nynorsk slengja kjeften, Swedish slänga käften (“to abuse verbally”, literally “to sling one's jowl”), Swedish slänga ur sig (“to say something hastily, carelessly, thoughtlessly”, literally “to throw out of oneself”), also Swedish (regional) slänga (“careless, nonchalant girl”, literally “sling + feminine suffix -a”).
Etymology 2
Compare sling.
Etymology 3
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.