For all those times when you’re online, using dating apps, dating websites, and you run across jargons or acronyms that you don’t understand – this is a fully comprehensive modern and traditional online dating dictionary
A
Aromantic – no strong urge of feeling romantic
Asexual – no strong desire to experience sexual attraction or activites
ASL – Age, sex, location used in chatrooms
B
Bad Pancake – term for rebound, if the first person you hook up with after a breakup doesn’t go well
Bae – short form of babe or baby, your significant other
Basic – someone who is unoriginal
Benching – stringing someone along, keeping them in the sidelines because of commitment avoidance (which is not a bad thing, if someone knows better than to commit, they’re being honest with themselves and everyone else)
Big Dick Energy (BDE) – an alpha male presence but quiet about it
Bisexual – attracted to two genders
Blizzard Buddy – hooking up during a patch of bad weather
Blue Stalling – when two people are acting as if they’re dating but one isn’t ready for a commitment
Bobbing – when someone contacts you then disappears, then contacts you again, then disappears…
Booty Call – reaching out strictly for a hookup usually late in the night
Bot – a robot, a fake dating profile
Boyfriend Island – when a female gets into a relationship and disappears from the social scene to hang out with him
Breadcrumbing – sending text messages stringing someone along, either flirty but not committal, or after a breakup still reaching out
C
Caspering – the more responsible version of ghosting, letting someone know you’ll be ghosting
Catch and Release – in it for the chase, once someone is caught they move on
Catfishing – lying about who you really are in a profile, a fake identity, fake photos or biography usually created by a real person to mislead others into communicating via chat, messaging etc.
CIS gender – someone who identifies as the gender they were assigned at birth/born with
Cloaking – someone disappears then blocks you from all apps
Cloutlighting – someone baits the person they’re dating into getting angry on camera then showing it social media for attention
Cookie Jarring – the relationship is over but not completely severed, the cookie jarred person hopefully waits while the other is out looking for new partners and keeping them as a backup option
Cougar – an older woman pursing younger men
Covidship – hookups that started during the pandemic
Cryptomancer – those in the dating scene only because they want to educate others on the subject of cryptocurrency hoping you will invest
Cubbing – younger guys into older women
Cuffed – a serious and committed relationship
Cuffing – generally a cold season when normally single people find a partner to snuggle in with
Curved – being rejected
Cushioning – flirting with others before a current relationship is terminated
D
Daterview – when a date feels more like a job interview than a date
Dateship – dating someone but knowing you don’t plan to be with them forever and so emotional attachment isn’t intense
Dealbreakers – set of standards that someone will apply to a dating situation that deems the other person incompatible
Deeplike – going deep into someone’s social media to learn more about them
Demisexual – someone who is more attracted to personality than appearance
DFH – date from home, virtual dating
DFMO – dance floor make out
Dial-toning – ignoring someone, a phone number was given but never answered
Dick pic – picture of a dick, if you send them unsolicited then you’re guaranteed to lose points
DM slide – see sliding into DM
Dogfishing – is that your real dog in your dating profile pic or did you borrow it just for the pic
Drafting – happens before cushioning, scoping the field for potential cushions before breaking up
DTF – down to fuck
DTR – define the relationship
E
Eclipsing – pretending to like the activities, interests and hobbies of a potential date
E-fit – when a social media account is put together so well it serves as an online dating profile
Emergency call – a fake call made to get out of a date one has no interest in continuing
Eskimo brothers – two guys who have been with the same woman and are on good terms
Eskimo sisters / pogo sisters – two women have been with the same guy and are on good terms
F
FBO – facebook official, when a couple states they’re dating by posting it on facebook
Firedooring – when someone contacts you but doesn’t respond to your chat
Fishing – sending out a lot of messages to many profiles but only replying to one
Flashplanner – liking the initial start to a relationship but not taking it further into commitment
FODA – fear of dating again
Freckling – coming into your life during nice weather but disappearing when it gets cold
Freeclimibing – scrolling through every online fact about someone you’re interested in
Friendzoned – stuck or demoted to friend only without any relationship
Fuckboy/ fuckboi – uninteresting and immature guy
Fuckbuddy – someone you only have sex with, and no emotional attachment
FWB – friends with benefits, having sexual relations with someone but without the relationship
G
Gaslighting – manipulating someone into where they question themselves and their sanity
Gatsbying – creating an ideal social media profile, pictures, etc in attempts to impress a certain someone
Gay – attracted to the same gender
Genderfluid – someone who doesn’t feel attached to, specifying as, or identifying with, a specific gender, it can change daily
Ghostbusting – the person who has been ghosted continues to reach out
Ghosting – abruptly ceasing all contact instead of telling someone directly
Glamboozled – getting dressed and ready for a date to have them cancel or fall through
H
Half-night stand – a one night stand without staying over
Haunting – when an ex tries to reach out through social media
Hatfishing – when someone hides their real hair, or lack of, by wearing a hat in their profile pics
I
Incel – involuntary celibate, a guy who can’t get laid
Instaficial – letting everyone know a couple is officially together via an Instagram post
Internet Stalking – looking for as much information one can find online about a potential or current partner
IRL– in real life, as in meeting in real life, or what do you do in real life, or what is your name in real life
J
Jelly – jealous
K
Kanye’d – your date talks about themselves the entire time
Kittenfishing – borderline dishonest portrayal in an online dating profile, old pics, heavily edited pics, etc
Kray Bae – someone who seemed cool in the beginning then went sideways, 180 degree flip, into crazy land
L
Layby – dating someone just biding time for better options to come along
LGBTQ – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer
Left on Read – when someone reads your messages but doesn’t reply
Lining – sharing the lyft or uber ride
Locdating – dating locally
Love Bombing – going too fast too far in a new relationship, showing affection early, spending a lot of resources in the wooing phase then sometimes withdrawing once they have you
M
Magic Hour – the half hour before last call when people start madly seeking a partner for the night
Meetcute – cute story of how a couple met the first time
Megadating – dating multiple people simultaneously
Micro-cheating – when in a relationship but still messaging an ex frequently, flirting, going behind the back and hiding it from current partner
Monkeying – swinging from relationship to relationship without down time
Mosting – similar to love bombing but in a shorter time period, giving many sincere appearing compliments then ghosting
N
Negging – the dual approach of lowering someone’s confidence by offending them, then praising them in an attempt to control the situation.
“I’m usually only into women younger than me but I’ll make an exception with you”
Netflix and chill – generally understood that you’ll be having sex with a movie in the background
Non-binary – a person who chooses not to identify as any specific gender, they could identify as all genders, or no genders
Non-date date – getting together, flirting, playful contact, but it’s not really considered a date
NSA – no strings attached
O
Obligaswiping – swiping and chatting on dating sites without the intention of actually putting in the work, so you can tell yourself you’re trying
On a thing – a romantic relationship that isn’t official but not casual either
ONS – one night stand
Open relationship – a couple that is together but agrees to see other people on the side
Orbiting – an ex that shows up on social media but doesn’t reach out
P
PDA – public displays of affection
Paperclipping – an ex that pops back into your life sporadically in attempts to remind you they’re still there so you won’t move on
Peacocking – Putting on a show, showing off, wealth, house, car, degree, skills, etc in attempts to impress a potential mate
Phishing – when a person builds trust online then requests personal information like a real name, bank account, etc with the intention of stealing
Phubbing – hanging out with someone who is spending too much time on their phone
Pied Off – being dumped
Pie hunting – when someone dates ‘pies’ who are considered heartbroken and vulnerable with the presumption they are lower maintenance
Pingers – pinging someone through messages, flirting, reaching out, but not following through. Generally used to boost their own ego
Polyamorous – consensually dating within a specified group
Printing – accidentally leaving a digital fingerprint, a like, a post, a heart, a notification, on someone’s social media account
Q
Q – slang for cool
Queer – umbrella term for gay men who are exploring their sexuality
R
R-bombed – same as left on read, reading someone’s message but not replying
Recycling – going back to an ex
Redpill – when you believe women are ruining society
Red herring – diverting attention, false leads, sending fake crumbs of information so someone doesn’t find out the real information (such as a name or history)
Roaching – hiding from someone they’ve been seeing, then pretending there was no agreement or discussion of monogamy so it didn’t matter
S
Sapiosexual – turned on by someone’s mind rather than physical appearance
Scrooging – dumping someone before a holiday so there’s no need to buy a gift
Seasoned Dater – someone in the dating scene for longer than planned
Sex Interview – having sex with someone before going on a date to week out incompatibility
Several-night stand – when a one night stand turns into many
Sexting – sex texting messages to someone
Sexting the waters – testing the waters before coming right out and sexting through use of vague questions like what are you wearing
Shadowing – posting pics of you with a hot friend hoping others will think you’re the hot one
Shaveducking – attracted to a guy but maybe just for his facial hair
Sidebarring – having a text messaging conversation in secret while talking to someone else
Situationship – if your romantic relationship hasn’t been officially defined by the two of you
Sliding into DMs – direct messages in social media, after commenting, liking posts or pictures, this term means let’s chat in direct messages
Slow-fade – ending a relationship by gradually reducing chat and response times
Snack – someone so attractive you want to gobble them right up
Sneating – when you’re chatting with someone but not really feeling it but agree to a date anyway because you want the free dinner
SO – significant other, the person you’re dating
Sober first kiss – first kiss occurs when two people are sober
Stashing – when someone you’ve been dating or seeing a while doesn’t post you on social media because they know the relationship is only temporary
Stan someone / stanning – stalk someone
Stealthing – when someone removes a condom mid act wihtout consent and doesn’t tell the other person
Straight – attracted to and date only the opposite sex
Submarine – when someone ghosts, then reappears as if nothing happened
Summer Fling – only together during the summer
Sunday night fever – the busiest night for dating apps, this is when a bunch of message might come in
Sunday test – if you’d enjoy spending a Sunday with them doing nothing they pass your Sunday test
Swipe left – used in many dating apps when scrolling through profiles, swiping left indicates NO interest
Swipe right – used in many dating apps when scrolling through profiles, swiping right indicates interest
Swiping – in online dating apps, determining if you are interested in someone
T
Taking it offline – when two people decide to chat via text, FaceTime, or over the phone instead of through the dating site platform
Tater tot – a younger FWB that isn’t good for you but you still want
Text black hole – a never ending text conversation with someone you’ve not met
Textlationship – when the relationship is only comprised of texting
Thirsty – very eager for some sexual action
Thirst Trap – someone who sticks around just for the free drinks but doesn’t have intent to become involved.
2nd meaning – when someone posts a pic of their best physical feature hoping to entice someone (such as cleavage)
THOT – that hoe over there
Throning – gold digging that included social status, social circle
Tied down – a serious relationship
Tindstagramming – contacting someone directly in IG after seeing them on Tinder but not matching up on tinder
Transgender – person who identifies as a gender opposite than the one they were assigned at birth
Tuning – getting to know someone phase before committing
Turbo relationship – started off during the pandemic and going fast
Turkey dump – broken up after thanksgiving
Type-casting – only dating someone who fits your Myers-Brigg personality test or shares the same love language
U
Uber radius – basing dating potential based on the distance someone lives
Uncuffing – when winter is over and one uncuffs from their current relationship
V
V card – virgin
Volcel – voluntary celibate
Vulturing – when someone senses a relationship is on its way out, a vulture will selfishly swoop in
W
Werk – putting a lot of effort into securing a partner
White clawing – staying with someone just because of their appearance
Wokefishing – pretending to be politically inclined or interested in progressive politics to attract a partner
X
X-factor – when there is something really hot about a partner but you don’t exactly know what
Y
Yellow Carding – someone is called out on their bad dating behaviors
YODO – you only dump once, don’t go back to your ex
YOLO – you only live once, be carefree and spontaneous
You-turning – fall hard for someone but then change mind
Z
Zombeing – worse than ghosting, someone disappears for a loooong time then reappears
Zumped – being dumped over zoom
Sext Emoji Dictionary
💦 Orgasm
🍑 Booty
🍆 Penis
✌️ Vagina
👌🏾 Anal sex
👉 Fingering
🌮 Vagina
🌭 Penis
🍯 Sweet vagina
👉👌🏾 Let’s have sex
🍩🍌 Let’s have anal sex
👅🌮💦 I’m going to go down on you
👄🍆🎆 I’m going to go down on you
👋🍑😈 I’m going to spank you
🎟💃👀 I’d like you to strip for me
👅🍑🤯 I’m going to rim you and it will blow your mind
🐍🌷 I want to slither inside you
❤️🦴 I love your penis
