slang
Use Slang in a sentence
noun
1.
very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more metaphorical, playful, elliptical, vivid, and ephemeral than ordinary language, as Hit the road.
2.
(in English and some other languages) speech and writing characterized by the use of vulgar and socially taboo vocabulary and idiomatic expressions.
3.
the jargon of a particular class, profession, etc.
4.
the special vocabulary of thieves, vagabonds, etc.; argot.
verb (used without object)
5.
to use slang or abusive language.
00:10
Slang
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
verb (used with object)
6.
to assail with abusive language.
Origin:
1750–60; origin uncertain
1750–60; origin uncertain
Synonyms
4. cant.
4. cant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
slang dictionary
noun
a specialized dictionary covering the words, phrases, and idioms that reflect the least formal speech of a language. These terms are often metaphorical and playful, and are likely to be evanescent as the spoken language changes from one generation to another. Much slang belongs to specific groups, as the jargon of a particular class, profession, or age group. Some is vulgar. Some slang terms have staying power as slang, but others make a transition into common informal speech, and then into the standard language. An online slang dictionary, such as the Dictionary.com Slang Dictionary, provides immediate information about the meaning and history of a queried term and its appropriateness or lack of appropriateness in a range of social and professional circumstances.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To Slang
Collins
World English Dictionary
slang (slæŋ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. vocabulary, idiom, etc, that is not appropriate to the standard form of a language or to formal contexts, may be restricted as to social status or distribution, and is characteristically more metaphorical and transitory than standard language |
| b. (as modifier): a slang word | |
| 2. | another word for jargon |
| —vb | |
| 3. | to abuse (someone) with vituperative language; insult |
| [C18: of unknown origin] | |
| 'slangy | |
| —adj | |
| 'slangily | |
| —adv | |
| 'slanginess | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
slang
1756, "special vocabulary of tramps or thieves," later "jargon of a particular profession" (1801), of uncertain origin, perhaps from a Scandinavian source, cf. Norw. slengenamn "nickname," slengja kjeften "to abuse with words," lit. "to sling the jaw," related to O.N. slyngva "to sling." But OED, while
admitting "some approximation in sense," discounts this connection based on "date and early associations." Sense of "very informal language characterized by vividness and novelty" first recorded 1818. A word that ought to have survived is slangwhanger (1807, Amer.Eng.) "noisy or abusive talker or writer."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
slang definition
Expressions that do not belong to standard written English. For example, “flipping out” is slang for “losing one's mind” or “losing one's temper.” Slang expressions are usually inappropriate in formal speech or writing. (See jargon.)
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
slang definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
SLANG definition
1. R.A. Sibley. CACM 4(1):75-84 (Jan 1961).
2. Set LANGuage. Jastrzebowski, ca 1990. C extension with set-theoretic data types and garbage collection. "The SLANG Programming Language Reference Manual, Version 3.3", W. Jastrzebowski
3. Structured LANGuage. Michael Kessler, IBM. A language based on structured programming macros for IBM 370 assembly language. "Project RMAG: SLANG (Structured Language) Compiler", R.A. Magnuson, NIH-DCRT-DMB-SSS-UG105, NIH, DHEW, Bethesda, MD 20205 (1980).
4. "SLANG: A Problem Solving Language for Continuous-Model Simulation and Optimisation", J.M. Thames, Proc 24th ACM Natl Conf 1969.
Example sentences
Student slang points to an increased need to patrol social boundaries.
Be neither too lax nor too precise in your use of language: the one fault ends in stiffness, the other in slang.
Slang, catch phrases and suggestiveness that borders on innocence pervades much of his work.
The slang use of iced connotes bejeweled or monolithic gestures.
Nearby Words
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