The Collins English Dictionary has named ‘mogging’ its Word of the Year for 2026, recognising a slang term that has gained widespread popularity among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, particularly on social media.
It is frequently used to describe situations in which a person appears more attractive, confident, stylish or impressive than someone else. Collins explained that the expression has become particularly popular among younger generations, who often use it playfully or ironically. It subsequently spread through online communities associated with discussions about masculinity and physical appearance before entering mainstream social media conversations. The dictionary also shortlisted several expressions reflecting emerging social, technological and cultural trends. Another contender, ‘carspreading’, describes the growing tendency of manufacturers to produce longer, wider and heavier vehicles. The shortlist also included ‘fricy’, describing foods or drinks combining fruity and spicy flavours, and ‘friendslop’, referring to low-budget independent video games designed to be played with friends. Meanwhile, ‘P(doom)’ describes an estimate of the probability that artificial intelligence could cause the collapse of human civilisation. (Also read: Master this powerful word and take your English to the next level – word of the day ) Collins selects its annual Word of the Year by examining emerging language trends.
(Also read: Word of the Day: The shocking history behind this chaotic word will blow your mind ) The word, which refers to outshining or outperforming someone, recorded a 210 per cent increase in usage this year, according to a report by Associated Press . The announcement was made on Tuesday, November 3, highlighting how internet slang continues to influence everyday English. The expression emerged around 2016 in bodybuilding communities, initially referring to the most physically dominant man in a gym. Its experts monitor a database containing approximately 27 billion words, including material drawn from social media and other sources.
Because of their appearance or fashion sense might be described as ‘mogging’ everyone around them, for instance, someone who stands out.
‘mogging’ describes the act of outshining or outperforming someone or something, according to the official Collins Dictionary announcement. The term is believed to have originated from ‘AMOG’, an acronym for ‘alpha male of the group’, according to a blog published by Collins Dictionary . Alex Beecroft, managing director of Collins, said the selection demonstrated how “each generation leaves its mark on language”. He added that younger generations had transformed the expression into humorous slang, “making the language their own and ‘mogging’ the rest of us”.
