Collins Dictionary Names 'Mogging' Its 2026 Word of the Year

As of 8:54 a.m. ET, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026

Collins Dictionary has named "mogging" its word of the year for 2026, picking a piece of youth slang that means getting the better of someone, or something, by comparison.

Collins defines the word as "to outshine or outperform someone or something." On its word-of-the-year page, the dictionary called it a "fast-growing slang word" that Gen Z and Gen Alpha use "in a playful and ironic way when someone is upstaged." It said the word "has firmly entered mainstream language this year."

Use of the word rose 210% in 2026, The Associated Press reported. Collins lexicographers make their picks by tracking the Collins Corpus, a 27-billion-word database of language, according to the AP.

From the gym to the group chat

In a blog post announcing the choice, Collins said mogging can mean making someone or something "look inferior in terms of appearance, confidence or status – anything, really."

The word is believed to come from AMOG, short for "alpha male of the group," according to the post by copywriter Rachel Quin. It first showed up around 2016 as a noun in bodybuilding culture, for the most physically dominant man in the gym. Later it became a verb and spread through the online "manosphere."

By 2026, Quin wrote, "it's everywhere." "Teenagers mog elite athletes, a new video game mogs an old favourite, and your friend's sourdough mogs the loaf you spent all weekend proving," she wrote, adding that the word is "mostly used with tongue firmly in cheek these days."

Collins managing director Alex Beecroft said the choice shows how each generation shapes the language, the AP reported.

The shortlist

Nine other words made Collins' shortlist:

P(doom): an estimate, given as a percentage, of how likely it is that artificial intelligence will bring about the collapse of human civilization. Collins said it began as an in-joke among AI insiders, with one early use on the LessWrong forum in 2009.

Firewave: several wildfires breaking out over a short period, often in towns and cities, after long hot, dry spells. Collins said researchers at Imperial College London coined it in 2025.

Hydration break: a pause in a sporting contest so players can drink fluids. Collins noted the breaks were used in every match at the 2026 World Cup.

Carspreading: car manufacturers' habit of making each new model longer, wider and heavier.

Ghost job: a job advertised with no intention of hiring anyone.

Manchesterism: a political philosophy associated with Andy Burnham that involves devolving power to the regions and combining economic growth with social progress. Collins said the word dates to the 19th century, when it meant something else, and that Burnham revived it in a newspaper article in January, months before he replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister in July.

Friendslop: low-budget, independently made video games meant to be played with a group of friends. It started as an insult before gamers adopted it.

Fricy: food that is both fruity and spicy.

Bixie: a haircut shorter than a bob but longer than a pixie cut.

Taken together, Collins said, the list shows a year in which "everything is surpassing something else," along with some ways people are coping, from playing games with friends to getting a new haircut.