Collins Dictionary names Gen Z slang ‘mogging’ 2026 Word of the Year
by Ganiyu Mubarak · The Eagle OnlineCollins English Dictionary has named ‘mogging’, a slang expression meaning to outshine or outperform someone, its Word of the Year for 2026.
The dictionary announced its selection on Tuesday, describing the term as increasingly popular among Generation Z and Generation Alpha, who use it in a playful and ironic way to describe situations where someone is upstaged.
Collins defines ‘mogging’ as “outperforming or outshining someone or something else”, often by making another person appear inferior in terms of appearance, confidence or status.
The expression is believed to have originated from AMOG, an abbreviation for ‘alpha male of the group’.
According to the dictionary, the term emerged around 2016 in bodybuilding culture, where it was used to describe the most physically dominant man in a gym.
It later developed into a verb and spread across online communities, including the manosphere, before gaining wider acceptance in mainstream conversations.
Collins said the use of the word increased by 210 per cent in 2026, reflecting its growing popularity among younger generations.
Managing Director of Collins, Alex Beecroft, said the selection demonstrated how younger people continued to influence the development of the English language.
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“It’s a great example of how Gen Z and Gen Alpha have adopted a word and turned it into humorous slang, making the language their own and ‘mogging’ the rest of us!” he said.
Other expressions shortlisted for the annual recognition included ‘firewave’, referring to multiple wildfires breaking out within a short period, and ‘ghost job’, describing a job advertised by an employer with no intention of hiring.
The list also featured ‘carspreading’, which describes the growing trend of vehicle manufacturers producing increasingly larger and heavier cars.
Other contenders were ‘Manchesterism’, a political philosophy associated with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham; ‘fricy’, a combination of fruity and spicy; and ‘friendslop’, referring to low-budget independent video games played among friends.
Also shortlisted was ‘bixie’, a hairstyle combining features of a bob and a pixie cut, as well as ‘P(doom)’, a term used to describe the estimated probability that artificial intelligence could cause the collapse of human civilisation.
Collins said its annual Word of the Year selection highlights changes in the English language and reflects emerging trends, cultural developments and issues influencing the people who use it.
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