New York Slang: List Of 120+ Unique & Cool NYC Lingo Words

Diving into New York City’s slang gives us more than just local words; it shows us how the city changes and grows. Each slang term, from the busy streets of Manhattan to the varied neighbourhoods of Brooklyn, tells a story about the people and their history. New York City’s slang is a colourful mix of words that mirrors its diverse culture and history. It comes from the many groups that have made the city their home. Using this slang isn’t just casual talk; it shows you understand and value the local culture. It also helps connect people from different ages and backgrounds.

New York City Slang: Over 120 Slang Words to Speak Like a Native New Yorker

Exploring over 120 slang words from native New Yorkers can really help you get the feel of the city’s language. Each part of the city has its own special words.

Slang	Meaning	Example
A’ight	Alright	I’m feeling a’ight today.
Ace boon coon	Best friend	That’s my ace boon coon, we go way back.
Beef	Conflict or disagreement	I don’t have beef with anyone.
Benny	Tourist	The Bennys are flocking to Times Square.
Bird	A person who’s annoying or unintelligent	Don’t be a bird, listen up.
Blowing mine	Annoying me	That noise is blowing mine.
Boogie down	The Bronx	I’m from the boogie down Bronx.
Boozy	Drunk	She got real boozy last night.
Brek	Breakfast	Let’s grab some brek before work.
Brick	Very cold	It’s brick outside today.
Brolic	Muscular or strong	He’s been hitting the gym, looking brolic.
Buck 50	A cut on the face	He got a buck 50 in that fight.
Bundles	Large sums of money	I’m trying to make bundles this year.
Burned	Embarrassed or rejected	He got burned by his crush.
Cake	Money	She’s got cake, always shopping.
Coney	Coney Island	We’re heading to Coney this weekend.
Cop	To buy or get	I’m about to cop some new kicks.
Crusty	Dirty or unkempt	He looked crusty after the game.
Deadass	Seriously	Deadass, I’m not joking.
Dime	Attractive person	She’s a dime, for sure.
Dope	Cool or awesome	That movie was dope.
Dough	Money	I need to make more dough.
Dub	Twenty dollars or a loss	I just lost a dub on that bet.
Dumb	Very or extremely	That’s dumb expensive.
Dunn	Friend or homie	What’s good, dunn?
Eighth	An eighth of an ounce (usually drugs)	I bought an eighth last night.
Facts	True or correct	Facts, that’s exactly what happened.
Fam	Family or close friends	What’s up, fam?
Fiend	Addict or someone eager for something	He’s a fiend for sneakers.
Finna	Going to	I’m finna head out soon.
Fire	Excellent or amazing	That song is fire.
Floss	Show off	He’s always trying to floss his new car.
Frontin’	Pretending or acting	Stop frontin’ like you don’t care.
Fugazi	Fake	That watch is fugazi.
G	Gangster or friend	What’s up, G?
Gassed	Excited or hyped	He was gassed about the concert.
Grill	To stare at someone aggressively	Why are you grilling me?
Grimy	Dirty or shady	That’s a grimy neighborhood.
Guap	Money	I’m trying to stack some guap.
Gun	Friend or homie	What’s good, gun?
Gunny	A firearm	He’s got a gunny on him.
Hella	Very or a lot	That party was hella fun.
Herb	A foolish person	Stop being a herb.
High-key	Obviously or openly	I’m high-key excited for summer.
Hood	Neighborhood	I’m from the hood.
Hype	Excited or overly excited	Don’t believe the hype.
Ice	Jewelry	He’s always rocking ice.
Jakes	Police	Watch out, the jakes are coming.
Jawn	Thing or person	Pass me that jawn over there.
Joint	A place or thing	Let’s hit up that new joint.
Kicks	Shoes	I need some new kicks.
Knock	To criticize or reject	Don’t knock it till you try it.
L	A loss	We took an L last night.
Lit	Exciting or fun	The party was lit.
Low-key	Subtly or secretly	I low-key like that song.
Lurking	Hanging around suspiciously	He was lurking around the corner.
Mad	Very or a lot	That’s mad cool.
Merked	Killed or beaten badly	He got merked in the game.
Mo	More	I need mo money.
Money	Currency or cash	I’m all about the money.
Mope	To sulk or be sad	Stop moping around.
Moolah	Money	I need some moolah for the trip.
Nah	No	Nah, I’m good.
No cap	Not lying	No cap, that was the best movie ever.
No doubt	Definitely or certainly	No doubt, I’ll be there.
OD	Overdoing it	You’re OD with the questions.
Old head	Older person	Listen to the old head’s advice.
On God	Swear or promise	I’ll be there, on God.
On my mama	Swear or promise	I’m telling the truth, on my mama.
Ops	Opponents or enemies	Watch out for the ops.
Paper	Money	I need to stack some paper.
Pegged	Identified or recognized	He got pegged as the suspect.
Plug	Supplier (usually drugs)	I need to call my plug.
Pop	To shoot	He got popped last night.
Props	Respect or recognition	Give props where it’s due.
Rack	Thousand dollars	He spent a rack on that jacket.
Real talk	Honestly	Real talk, that was the best game ever.
Reckless	Careless or dangerous	He’s always driving reckless.
Run	To leave quickly	We had to run when the cops showed up.
Savage	Aggressive or ruthless	She’s a savage on the field.
Schemin’	Plotting or planning	He’s always schemin’ something.
Schlep	To carry or move awkwardly	I had to schlep all those bags home.
Schmooze	To chat or mingle	He’s good at schmoozing at parties.
Shorty	Girlfriend or young woman	That’s my shorty over there.
Sick	Cool or awesome	That trick was sick.
Skeezy	Shady or sleazy	That place looks skeezy.
Skrrt	To leave quickly	We had to skrrt out of there.
Slaps	Good music	This song slaps.
Slime	Friend or homie	What’s good, slime?
Snitch	Informant or betrayer	Don’t be a snitch.
Son	To disrespect or belittle	Don’t try to son me.
Squad	Group of friends	Hanging with my squad tonight.
Stash	To hide something	I need to stash this money.
Steez	Style or demeanor	He’s got mad steez.
Stoop	Steps of a building	We were chilling on the stoop.
Sus	Suspicious	That guy looks sus.
Swag	Style or confidence	He’s got a lot of swag.
Thirsty	Desperate or eager	Stop being so thirsty.
Throw shade	To insult or criticize	She loves to throw shade.
Tight	Angry or upset	I was tight about that decision.
Totes	Totally	That’s totes amazing.
Trippin’	Acting crazy or irrational	You’re trippin’ right now.
Vibe	Atmosphere or feeling	I love the vibe of this place.
Wagwan	What’s going on?	Wagwan, how are you?

Conclusion

To sum it up, diving into over 120 New York City slang terms really opens up what the city is all about. You get a taste of the different voices and stories that make up New York. It’s more than just learning new words; it’s about connecting with people and getting the real vibe of the city. This guide is like a bridge.

New York City Slang: Over 120 Slang Words to Speak Like a Native New Yorker

Conclusion

Similar posts:

Winston Simon

Mastering Chicago Slang Words To Sound Like A Local

How To Say I Love You In French: 25 Different Ways

Leave a Comment Cancel reply