Memes & Internet Slang phrases and words in English

Modern internet phrases that fly across TikTok, Twitter and group chats. Learn them and never look lost online again.

26 phrases · meanings & example sentences

“Main character energy”

Radiating the confidence of a film's protagonist — magnetic, unbothered, the center of attention. Often prefixed with 'it's giving'. Said when someone walks into a room and every head turns toward them like the lighting is bending.

She walked into the cafe in those huge sunglasses. It's giving main character energy.
He ordered an espresso martini at 11am on a Tuesday. Pure main character energy.
Mum showed up to parents' evening in a leather jacket. Full main character energy.

“Bro thought he did something”

Mocking line for when someone tries hard to land a roast, comeback, or flex and completely whiffs. Said with a smirk, often while screenshotting the attempt. Works on bad tweets, weak comebacks, and over-confident slide decks alike.

He posted that comeback then deleted it. Bro thought he did something.
She sent a four-paragraph 'final text' and he replied with 'k'. Bro thought he did something.
Founder did a TED-talk pause after saying 'we use AI'. Bro thought he did something.

“Living rent-free in my head”

Something you can't stop thinking about even though it shouldn't matter — a phrase, a person, an old memory. Used for anything occupying mental real estate without paying for it: an awkward moment, a stranger's offhand comment, an unfair review.

That awkward thing I said in 2014 is still living rent-free in my head.
The way the cashier laughed at my pronunciation of 'gnocchi' is living rent-free in my head.
His one-star review of my sourdough has been living rent-free in my head for a year.

“The audacity”

Two-word reaction to someone's outrageous nerve — said with raised eyebrows and a long pause. Used on anyone bold enough to ghost you for a month and then ask a favour, or to bring an uninvited plus-one to your engagement dinner.

He ghosted me for three weeks then asked to borrow my charger. The audacity.
She brought her new boyfriend to my birthday and ordered for both of them. The audacity.
He quit on Friday and asked for a reference on Monday. The audacity.

“Caught in 4K”

Caught red-handed with undeniable proof — as if filmed in ultra-high-definition. No way to wriggle out, no plausible deniability. Used for screenshots, receipts, timestamps, and anything else that pins someone down past the point of explanation.

She said she didn't see my message but Instagram showed 'seen 3h ago'. Caught in 4K.
He said he was at the gym, then tagged himself at a bar in the same hour. Caught in 4K.
She told everyone she didn't drink, then liked the photo of herself with a margarita. Caught in 4K.

“Cheugy”

Gen Z's verdict on anything outdated or trying too hard — usually millennial aesthetics that feel embarrassing now. Live-laugh-love signs, skinny jeans, monogrammed wine glasses, side parts. Said with the same energy as a polite eye-roll.

Live laugh love signs in the kitchen are so cheugy now.
He still uses three crying-laughing emojis at the end of every text. Cheugy.
She got a 'Live Love Laugh' tattoo in 2014 and won't talk about it anymore. Peak cheugy.

“Delulu”

Short for delusional — said with affection. Used on yourself or a friend whose self-belief is operating at a level reality has not yet endorsed. Often paired with 'delulu is the solulu' (delusional is the solution) as a manifesting mantra.

I'm manifesting a promotion this quarter. Delulu is the solulu.
She thinks she's getting back together with him after that text. Babe, delulu.
He's been telling everyone the band is going to play Glastonbury next year. Full delulu.

“Rizz”

Short for charisma, specifically the romantic kind. Having rizz means you can charm someone in conversation effortlessly. Used as a noun ('he's got rizz') or a verb ('he rizzed her up at the bar'). Word of the year 2023, now in everyday rotation.

He talked to her for two minutes and got her number. That man has rizz.
She rizzed up the bartender and got the whole table a round for free.
He typed 'hey' three times then deleted it. Zero rizz.

“The way I would”

Dramatic, hyperbolic reaction template. 'The way I would [verb]' means 'I cannot imagine what I'd do if that happened to me'. Used to insert yourself, in horror or admiration, into someone else's story. Substitute any verb: run, scream, cry, leave.

If I saw a spider that big in my shower? The way I would run.
She caught him going through her phone. The way I would scream.
He proposed at her sister's wedding. The way I would leave the country.

“It's the X for me”

Surgical template for singling out the one detail that defines someone or something — either to compliment or to roast with precision. Replace X with the giveaway: the delivery, the audacity, the shoes, the way he says 'literally'.

He told that whole story with a straight face. It's the delivery for me.
She wore Crocs to the wedding. It's the Crocs for me.
He said 'I don't really watch TV' then quoted four episodes of Succession. It's the contradiction for me.

“Bestie, no”

Friendly disapproval delivered with affection. You're not mad, you're just gently stopping someone before they ruin their life. The verbal equivalent of grabbing a friend's phone out of their hand at 2am. Said with a sigh and a head tilt.

You're texting your ex at 2am again? Bestie, no.
She wants to send him a 14-paragraph apology. Bestie. No.
He's about to dye his hair platinum for the third time this year. Bestie, no.

“I'm not crying, you're crying”

Sarcastic deflection used when something is genuinely emotional and you don't want to admit it. Wedding speeches, dog reunion videos, the last episode of a show you'll never recover from. Said while obviously crying.

That dog reunion video destroyed me. I'm not crying, you're crying.
She read out her dad's old letter at the wedding. I'm not crying, you're crying.
Final scene of the show, four-minute close-up. I'm not crying, you're crying.

“Mother is mothering”

Awe at someone embodying confidence, style, and presence at the highest level. The verb form of the highest compliment to a woman who is owning the room. Said with hands clasped in reverence, sometimes about a celebrity, sometimes about your aunt.

Did you see Rihanna at the Super Bowl? Mother is mothering.
She walked into the boardroom in white leather. Mother is mothering.
My aunt showed up to her divorce hearing in head-to-toe red. Mother is mothering.

“Skill issue”

Dismissive comeback meaning 'that's not the tool's fault, it's yours'. Started in gaming where players blamed the game for losing, now used for anyone struggling with anything — opening a jar, parallel parking, sending a calendar invite. Said with zero sympathy.

You can't open a jar? Skill issue.
He blamed the recipe for burning the rice. Skill issue.
She said the email button was broken. Skill issue.

“Goblin mode”

Embracing your most unkempt, lazy, unapologetic feral self — pyjamas all day, cereal at midnight, ignoring every text. Oxford's word of the year 2022. The official permission slip for not being a productive member of society this weekend.

Don't expect me to leave the house this weekend, I'm in full goblin mode.
She ate cold pasta out of the pan at 2am. Pure goblin mode.
Three days no shower, three episodes deep, four blankets. Goblin mode activated.

“NPC behavior”

Comparing someone to a non-player character in a video game — predictable, robotic, repeating the same lines without real thought. Used for coworkers, relatives, and anyone who reacts to every situation with the exact same scripted phrase.

Every Monday he says 'is it Friday yet?'. NPC behavior.
She replies 'lol same' to literally every message. Full NPC behavior.
He starts every meeting with 'happy Monday team'. Peak NPC.

“She's just Ken”

Roast for the lesser half of an unequal duo — one person carries, the other is an accessory. From the Barbie film line 'he's just Ken', now applied to couples, cofounders, siblings, any partnership where the imbalance is obvious to everyone but them.

She does all the planning for their trips. He's just Ken.
She runs the company, he 'oversees vibes'. He's just Ken.
Mum cooked the entire Christmas dinner. Dad poured one glass of wine. He's just Ken.

“Tell me without telling me”

Template that describes the giveaway behaviour without naming the identity. The most fluent way to roast a stereotype without saying the stereotype out loud. Said while presenting the evidence, usually with a knowing look.

He brought his own coffee filter to the cafe. Tell me without telling me he's from San Francisco.
She ordered a cappuccino at 3pm and the waiter sighed. Tell me without telling me we're in Rome.
He started the meeting with a five-minute weather update. Tell me without telling me he's British.

“It's giving”

TikTok shorthand for 'this gives off the vibe of...'. Used to label the energy of an outfit, a moment, a person — paired with a noun or adjective. It's giving cult leader. It's giving substitute teacher. It's giving desperate.

The all-beige outfit with the messy bun? It's giving rich aunt on holiday.
He sent a six-page email about office snacks. It's giving HR.
She bought matching mugs on the second date. It's giving too soon.

“Hits different”

Used when something resonates with unusual intensity compared to its baseline impact — a song, a memory, a flavour, a moment. Often because of new context: a breakup song after a breakup, a parent's old voicemail after they're gone.

That song I used to skip? Hits different after the breakup.
Cold beer on a Friday after a brutal week just hits different.
Re-watching the show in your thirties hits different — turns out the parents were the heroes.

“Touch grass”

Told to someone too deep in online discourse — log off, go outside, remember the real world exists. Said with mild contempt. Works on anyone arguing about Twitter takes, gaming lore, or fandom drama as if any of it had real-life stakes.

He's been arguing about a TV show finale for six hours. Sir, touch grass.
She wrote three paragraphs defending a stranger online. Babe, touch grass.
Two adults shouting about a video game patch note. Both of you. Touch grass.

“No cap”

No lie, no exaggeration — used to underline that what you just said is real. Capping means lying, so 'no cap' is the verbal stamp of truth. Often tacked on at the end of a bold claim to swear you're not making it up.

That was the best pizza I've had in my life, no cap.
He cried at the end of the kids' movie, no cap.
No cap, she finished the marathon in heels — somehow.

“Slay”

Approval for someone who pulled something off with style — an outfit, a speech, a comeback, a haircut. Originated in ballroom and drag culture, now everyday praise. Said sincerely, or fully ironic when someone barely does the minimum.

She walked into the interview in red boots and got the job. Slay.
He microwaved his own coffee instead of buying one. Mini slay.
Grandma roasted my uncle in front of the whole table. Slay grandma.

“Glow up”

A dramatic transformation for the better — physical, emotional, or career-wise. Used for the friend who came back from a year abroad looking unrecognisable, the ex who suddenly has a personality, or the company that finally fixed its website.

She cut her hair, started running, got the promotion. Full glow up.
Their app was unusable last year. Major glow up since the redesign.
He went from sleeping on a sofa to running his own studio. Generational glow up.

“Lowkey”

Quietly, kind of, secretly — used to soften a confession or take. 'Lowkey hate this restaurant' means 'I do hate it but I'm not making a scene'. Opposite of 'highkey', which is admitting something at full volume.

I lowkey think his new girlfriend is way more fun than him.
Lowkey, that boring conference had the best free coffee in the city.
She's lowkey the reason that whole project shipped on time.

“Crashing out”

Losing it emotionally over something small — spiraling, melting down, going feral. Started in hip-hop, now everyday. Used for the friend who saw their ex's new partner's Instagram and didn't sleep for three days.

He saw her with someone else at the bar and started crashing out in the Uber.
Don't talk to her about the cancelled flight, she's still crashing out.
I'm one bad email away from fully crashing out today.