American Slang & Idioms Starting with "D"
150 entries
- D-Day The decisive day; the day of a major event or operation.
- Da Bears A catchphrase for the Chicago Bears football team, mimicking the thick Chicag...
- Dad bod A male body type that is slightly overweight and not particularly muscular — ...
- Dad joke A wholesome, corny, usually pun-based joke that a father would tell — so bad ...
- Daddy issues Emotional or behavioral problems stemming from an absent, abusive, or difficu...
- Daddy's girl A daughter who has a particularly close, affectionate bond with her father.
- Dadgum A mild Southern exclamation used as a substitute for profanity; a cleaned-up ...
- Dag-nabbit A mild exclamation of frustration; a euphemism for 'goddammit.'
- Dank Extremely good or high quality — originally describing premium cannabis but n...
- Dap up To greet someone with a fist bump, handshake, or combination greeting. A sign...
- Dapper A man who is neatly and stylishly dressed, looking polished and well-groomed.
- Dark academia A fashion and lifestyle aesthetic inspired by old European universities — twe...
- Darty A daytime party, typically held outdoors during warm weather.
- Date night A designated evening for a couple to spend quality time together, often going...
- Dawn patrol Surfing at first light, before the crowds arrive — the most prized session of...
- Day drinking Drinking alcohol during daytime hours, usually starting before noon or in the...
- Day hike A hike that starts and finishes within a single day, requiring no overnight g...
- Day ones Your oldest, most loyal friends — the people who have been with you from the ...
- DD Short for 'designated driver' — the person in a group who stays sober to driv...
- DD-214 The military discharge document — symbolizing freedom from service and return...
- Dead broke Completely and utterly without money.
- Dead inside Feeling emotionally numb, exhausted, or completely drained of feeling.
- Dead presidents Paper money, referring to the portraits of deceased presidents on US bills.
- Dead to me I'm completely done with that person or thing; I refuse to acknowledge them.
- Dead to rights Caught red-handed with undeniable evidence of guilt.
- Dead wrong Completely and totally wrong. Wrong beyond any doubt.
- Dead-end job A job with no opportunities for advancement, growth, or career development.
- Deadass Completely serious; used to emphasize that you are not joking or exaggerating.
- Deadbeat A lazy, irresponsible person, especially one who doesn't pay debts or support...
- Deadstock Brand new, unworn sneakers or clothing still in original packaging.
- Deal gone bad A transaction or arrangement that went wrong, often resulting in violence or ...
- Deal with it A blunt instruction to accept and handle a situation, especially one you can'...
- Dealbreaker A quality or behavior in a potential partner that is completely unacceptable ...
- Dean's list An academic honor given to students who achieve a high GPA during a semester.
- Debbie Downer A person who constantly brings up negative, depressing, or discouraging topics.
- Debrief A review session after an event; to discuss what happened and what was learned.
- Decent Fairly good, acceptable, or respectable — understated approval.
- Decked out Dressed up elaborately with lots of accessories, jewelry, or fancy clothes.
- Deep cut An obscure or lesser-known track from an album that true fans appreciate, as ...
- Deep dish Chicago's signature thick, pan-style pizza with layers of cheese, toppings, a...
- Deep dive A thorough, in-depth exploration or investigation of a topic.
- Deep pockets Having a lot of money; being very wealthy or willing to spend generously.
- Deep-fried Food cooked by being fully submerged in hot oil.
- Deepfake AI-generated fake video or audio that realistically depicts someone saying or...
- Deer in the headlights Frozen with fear, shock, or confusion — unable to react.
- Deliverables Specific tangible outputs or results that must be produced for a project.
- Delulu Delusional — having unrealistic beliefs or expectations, especially about rel...
- Deplatformed Banned or removed from a social media platform, losing your online audience.
- Deploy To send out or put into action; to leave for a military assignment.
- Designated driver The person in a group who stays sober to drive everyone home safely.
- Desk jockey An office worker who spends most of their time sitting at a desk.
- Detention A punishment in American schools where a student must stay after regular hour...
- Detour An alternate route taken when the main road is blocked, or any deviation from...
- Detour ahead A universal Midwest warning that construction season has arrived — the other ...
- Detox A period of cleansing the body of toxins, or stopping consumption of unhealth...
- Devil dog A nickname for a US Marine, worn as a badge of honor.
- Dialed in Perfectly focused, precisely calibrated, or performing at peak accuracy.
- Dibs In Chicago, the practice of saving a shoveled-out parking spot by placing fur...
- Diddly-squat Nothing at all; a very small or worthless amount.
- Digital nomad A person who works remotely while traveling, using technology to earn a livin...
- Dime piece An extremely attractive person, rated a perfect 10 out of 10.
- Dine and dash To leave a restaurant without paying the bill.
- Dining hall A college cafeteria where students with meal plans eat, offering buffet-style...
- Dip To leave a place, especially quietly or abruptly — to slip out without making...
- Dirty money Money obtained through illegal or unethical means.
- Dispersed camping Free camping on public land outside of designated campgrounds, with no facili...
- Disrupt To radically change an industry or market through innovation.
- Diss To disrespect or show contempt for someone — also the insult itself.
- Diss track A song specifically written to insult, criticize, or humiliate another person...
- Ditch class To intentionally skip or miss a class without permission.
- DJ Disc jockey — someone who plays and mixes recorded music at clubs, parties, o...
- DM Direct Message — a private message sent on social media, or the act of sendin...
- Do it for the plot Do something spontaneous, risky, or out of character because it'll make a gre...
- Do more with less To achieve better results with fewer resources, typically after budget or sta...
- Do the math Figure it out; the answer is obvious if you think about it.
- Do time Informal expression meaning to serve a prison sentence, common in crime and l...
- Do what now? A Southern way of saying 'what did you say?' or expressing confusion about wh...
- Do you Focus on yourself, be independent, and live life on your own terms without wo...
- Do you even? A mocking challenge questioning someone's knowledge or ability, from 'do you ...
- Do your thing Encouragement to do what you're good at or be yourself — 'go ahead and show y...
- Dog tags Military identification tags worn around the neck.
- Doggo A cute, playful word for a dog.
- Doggy bag A container for taking home leftover food from a restaurant.
- Doing the most Being over-the-top, extra, or putting in way more effort than necessary.
- Dollar slice A cheap, no-frills slice of pizza sold for around one dollar, a staple of NYC...
- Dolled up Dressed up glamorously with full makeup and stylish clothes, like a doll.
- DOMS Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness — the pain felt 24-72 hours after intense exerc...
- Don't push it A warning to stop pressing your luck or asking for too much.
- Done Exasperated, finished dealing with a situation, or emotionally exhausted — un...
- Done up Dressed up nicely with attention to hair, makeup, and outfit — looking polished.
- Dontcha know A rhetorical tag phrase added to the end of sentences for emphasis or to seek...
- Doomscrolling Compulsively scrolling through negative news or social media despite it worse...
- Dope Excellent, cool, or impressive.
- Dorm life The experience of living in a college dormitory, encompassing all the social ...
- Dorm room A shared bedroom in a college dormitory, typically small and furnished with b...
- Double date A social outing where two couples go out together.
- Double down To commit even more strongly to a position, strategy, or bet, especially when...
- Double feature Two movies shown back-to-back, or any two events experienced in succession.
- Double major Completing two different majors simultaneously for a single bachelor's degree.
- Double tap To like a photo on Instagram, or to express approval of something.
- Double texting Sending a second text message before the other person has responded to your f...
- Double-click (on it) To examine or discuss something in more detail.
- Double-cross To betray someone with whom you had an agreement, especially a criminal partner.
- Douchebag An arrogant, obnoxious person, typically a man who is aggressively unpleasant.
- Dough Money, especially a significant amount.
- Down bad Desperately emotional, yearning, or doing embarrassing things because of roma...
- Down for the count Completely defeated, exhausted, or knocked out of action.
- Down the rabbit hole Getting deeply and obsessively absorbed in a topic or activity, especially on...
- Down the road a piece A short distance away; not too far from here.
- Down the shore Going to the beach — specifically the New Jersey Shore beaches.
- Down to the wire Coming down to the very last moment; extremely close to a deadline or finish.
- Down-home Simple, unpretentious, and traditionally Southern; authentic and homey.
- Downrange Deployed to a combat zone; in the direction of the target.
- Downtown The southern part of Manhattan; going south in the city; also associated with...
- Draft dodger Someone who illegally avoids mandatory military service.
- Dragging Publicly criticizing, roasting, or calling someone out in a harsh and sustain...
- Drained Feeling completely emptied of energy, emotionally or physically depleted.
- Drama queen A person who exaggerates situations and reacts with excessive emotion to mino...
- Dream on That's never going to happen; keep dreaming because it's not realistic.
- Dressed to kill Wearing an outfit so impressive it's designed to stun everyone who sees it.
- Dressed to the nines Wearing your very best, most formal, and most impressive clothes.
- Dressing down Wearing more casual clothes than usual — deliberately choosing a relaxed look.
- Drill down To examine something in greater detail, going from general to specific.
- Drink the Kool-Aid To blindly accept or enthusiastically adopt an idea, belief, or company culture.
- Drip Extremely stylish clothing, accessories, or overall appearance.
- Drip or drown Either have great style or get left behind — a fashion ultimatum about the im...
- Dripped out Wearing extremely stylish and expensive clothing and accessories.
- Drippy Having an exceptionally stylish appearance, oozing with fashion sense.
- Drive-by Something done quickly while passing by, or a shooting from a moving vehicle.
- Drive-thru A service window at a fast-food restaurant where you order and receive food w...
- Drop To release or launch something — a song, product, content, or collection.
- Drop a dime To make an anonymous phone call to inform on someone, especially to police.
- Drop and give me twenty A command to do twenty push-ups immediately; used as a punishment or demand f...
- Drop the ball To make a mistake or fail to follow through on a responsibility.
- Drop the beat To start playing the music or instrumental, especially at a key moment.
- Dropout A person who has left school or college before completing their degree or dip...
- Dropping in Catching a wave that another surfer already has priority on — a serious breac...
- DTR Define the relationship — the conversation where two people discuss what they...
- Duck, duck, gray duck Minnesota's unique version of the children's game known everywhere else as 'd...
- Dud Something that fails to work as expected or turns out to be disappointing.
- Dude A casual way to address someone, regardless of gender, or an exclamation of s...
- Duh Obviously; that's so self-evident it didn't need to be said.
- DUI Driving Under the Influence — operating a vehicle while impaired by alcohol o...
- Dumb (intensifier) Very; extremely — used as an intensifier similar to 'mad' in NYC speech.
- Dumped To be broken up with by a romantic partner; to be rejected or ended.
- Dumpster fire A situation that is completely out of control and disastrously bad.
- Dunk on To thoroughly humiliate, defeat, or embarrass someone, especially publicly.
- Dunks Dunkin' Donuts — the beloved coffee and donut chain that's practically a reli...
- Dupe A cheaper alternative that closely resembles a designer or luxury item — a bu...
- Dying Laughing hysterically or reacting with extreme emotion — so intense you can b...