“Mogging” Named Collins Dictionary's 2026 Word of the Year as Internet Slang Goes Mainstream
Collins English Dictionary named “mogging” its 2026 Word of the Year on November 3. The slang term generally means to outshine or outperform another person or thing, whether in appearance, performance or status. It has been widely adopted by members of Generation Z and Generation Alpha, often in a playful or ironic way. Collins says usage of the word increased by 210% in 2026. It is not a newly invented term: its roots are commonly traced to “AMOG,” or “alpha male of the group,” and an earlier association with gym culture and masculine dominance.
Collins defines “mogging” as outperforming or outshining someone or something. The word is no longer limited to appearance comparisons. It can describe an athlete outperforming a rival, a game overshadowing an older title, or even one piece of food looking better than another. Collins says younger users often employ it humorously or ironically, so the tone is not necessarily hostile.
The word's rise also illustrates how social media can move niche slang into everyday conversation. Short-form videos, comment sections and memes help expressions travel beyond the communities where they began. The Associated Press reported that Collins tracks language trends through a corpus of about 27 billion words, including material from social media.
Collins says “mogging” is believed to derive from AMOG, an abbreviation of “alpha male of the group.” Around 2016, the term appeared as a noun in bodybuilding culture, referring to the most physically dominant man in a group or gym. It later became a verb and circulated in online manosphere communities. As the term spread, its meaning broadened from physical dominance among men to the more general idea of making someone else look inferior by comparison.
RTE noted that the word's earlier online context was associated with some male communities that promote misogynistic ideas. In contemporary youth slang, it is often used as a lighthearted exaggeration, but its history is worth understanding. Depending on the context, it can be a joke or an insult that reinforces appearance-based hierarchies.
Collins' shortlist also included terms such as “firewave,” “ghost jobs,” “carspreading,” “fricy” and “P(doom).” A firewave describes multiple urban wildfires occurring within a short period. Ghost jobs are vacancies advertised by employers that have no genuine intention of hiring. Carspreading describes vehicles becoming longer, wider and heavier, while fricy refers to food or drinks that combine fruity and spicy flavours.
“P(doom)” refers to an estimate of the probability that artificial intelligence could cause the collapse of human civilization. Its inclusion reflects ongoing public debate about AI risk. Collins also highlighted terms such as “friendslop,” showing that the annual list records changes in online culture, work and consumer behaviour as well as new technology.
Collins' Word of the Year is not simply a vote for the most popular online catchphrase. The dictionary tracks how frequently words are used and how their usage changes across its corpus. The AP, CNN and Euronews all reported the 210% increase cited by Collins. That figure reflects the dictionary's own measurement and does not mean usage rose by the same amount on every platform or in every country.
The selection shows how younger generations can reshape an existing expression and give it a wider meaning. “Mogging” moved from a term with a specific subcultural background to a verb for almost any situation in which one person or thing clearly outshines another. It also shows why the history and tone of a popular word can be more complicated than its short dictionary definition.