Wetback
noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A Mexican or Central American who illegally enters the United States of America from its southern border. derogatory, slang
"1920, Temporary admission of illiterate Mexican laborers: Hearings before the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, House of Representatives, 66th Congress, 2nd Session, p. 141, Mr. HUDSPETH. […] I stood here and did all in my power to keep the “wetback” […] from coming across. And I stand here to-day asking for that. The CHAIRMAN. […] What is a “wetback”? Mr. HUDSPETH. You have heard a “wetback” described; he is a fellow that crosses the river surreptitiously."
- 2 (ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Mexican descent wordnet
- 3 A person of the mestizo race; a mojado. derogatory, slang
Example
More examples"1920, Temporary admission of illiterate Mexican laborers: Hearings before the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, House of Representatives, 66th Congress, 2nd Session, p. 141, Mr. HUDSPETH. […] I stood here and did all in my power to keep the “wetback” […] from coming across. And I stand here to-day asking for that. The CHAIRMAN. […] What is a “wetback”? Mr. HUDSPETH. You have heard a “wetback” described; he is a fellow that crosses the river surreptitiously."
Etymology
First used in the 1920s from the presumed effects of swimming or wading across the Rio Grande. Used by the U.S. Government in 1954 with Operation Wetback.
Related phrases
More for "wetback"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.