slang

1. 1.

   informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions; often vituperative or vulgar

   “their speech was full of slang expressions”

   Synonymsslang expressionslang term

   Broadernon-standard speech
2. 2.

   a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)

   “they don't speak our lingo”

   Synonymscantjargonlingoargotpatoisvernacular

   Broadernon-standard speech

   Narrowerstreet namerhyming slang

Other forms of slang

plural

slangs·

past tense

slanged·

present participle

slanging·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about slang

What does slang mean?

slang means "use slang or vulgar language". That is the primary sense; the word has 5 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in slang?

slang has 1 syllable: slang. In IPA it is /ˈslæŋ/.

What is another word for slang?

Close synonyms include gull, dupe, befool, cod, fool. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is slang a common word?

slang is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.