This list includes 40 Slang words that start with A, from “a-game” to “ax”. They range from gaming and sports terms to regional nicknames used across English-speaking communities.
Slang words that start with A are informal terms and expressions beginning with the letter A. Many come from music, sports, and online culture, like “a-game” meaning peak performance.
Below you’ll find the table with the columns: “Word”, “Meaning”, “Region”, “Register”, and “Example”.
Word: The slang term itself, shown so you can quickly scan entries and locate specific A‑words.
Meaning: A concise definition that explains sense and common uses, helping you choose the right word.
Region: Notes where the term is commonly used, so you know geographic or community context.
Register: Labels formality and tone, so you understand whether the slang is casual, offensive, or dated.
Example: A short sentence showing natural usage, helping you see how the word fits real conversation.
Slang words that start with A
| Term | Meaning | Region/Register | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ace | excellent, great | UK, informal (OED) | That gig was ace last night. |
| ain’t | contraction meaning am/is/are not | US/UK, informal (OED) | I ain’t gonna lie. |
| aggro | aggression, trouble | UK, informal/pejorative (UD) | Nobody wants any aggro tonight. |
| arvo | afternoon | AUS, informal (Macquarie/UD) | See you this arvo. |
| arsed | bothered (negated: can’t be arsed) | UK, informal/vulgar (OED) | I couldn’t be arsed to go. |
| arse | butt; idiot (vulgar) | UK, informal/vulgar (OED) | Get off your arse. |
| ass | butt; jerk (vulgar) | US/UK, informal/vulgar (M-W) | Don’t be an ass. |
| asshole | obnoxious, contemptible person | US, pejorative/vulgar (M-W) | He’s being a real asshole. |
| apeshit | extremely angry or excited | US, vulgar/informal (UD) | She went apeshit at the meeting. |
| amped | excited, hyped | US, informal (M-W) | I’m amped for tonight’s show. |
| adorbs | adorable, very cute | US/UK, affectionate/informal (Twitter) | That kitten is totally adorbs. |
| awks | awkward | US/UK, texting/informal (Twitter/UD) | That silence was so awks. |
| aww | expression of sympathy or cuteness | Global, informal (social media) | Aww, that’s so sweet. |
| awol | absent without leave; missing | US, informal (military→colloquial) | He’s been awol all weekend. |
| applesauce | nonsense (dated) | US, dated/informal (OED) | Ignore him—he’s talking applesauce. |
| addy | address (informal) | UK/US, informal (UD) | Send me your addy. |
| a-game | best performance | US, informal (idiom) | Bring your A-game tomorrow. |
| alt | alternative; countercultural | US/UK, informal (music press/UD) | She’s into alt bands. |
| anklebiter | small child | US/UK, informal/affectionate (UD) | Watch the anklebiter near the pond. |
| attaboy | good job, well done | US, informal (colloquial) | Attaboy—nice catch! |
| attagirl | good job to a female | US, informal (colloquial) | Attagirl, you nailed it! |
| airhead | silly, scatterbrained person | US/UK, informal/pejorative (M-W) | Don’t be such an airhead. |
| aight | alright; okay | US, informal/AAVE (UD) | You aight after that fall? |
| anorak | obsessive fan, nerd | UK, informal/pejorative (OED) | He’s a train anorak. |
| aunt flo | euphemism for menstruation | US/UK, informal (UD) | Told the boss Aunt Flo arrived. |
| apple-polisher | teacher’s pet, flatterer | US/UK, dated/informal (OED) | Stop being an apple-polisher to the boss. |
| alley-oop | basketball play; daring move | US, informal/sports (basketball lexicon) | He threw an alley-oop dunk. |
| arm candy | attractive companion | US, informal/pejorative (UD) | She arrived with arm candy. |
| amigo | friend (loanword used informally) | US, informal (Spanish loanword) | Hey amigo, long time no see. |
| ammo | ammunition; figurative fodder | US, informal (M-W) | That clip gave him ammo in the debate. |
| all-nighter | staying up all night | US/UK, informal (colloquial) | Pulling an all-nighter for exams. |
| and I oop | expression for surprised embarrassment | Global, internet/informal (Vine/Twitter) | And I oop—dropped my phone. |
| adulting | doing grown-up responsibilities | US, informal/ironic (Internet) | I’m tired of adulting today. |
| argy-bargy | noisy argument or dispute | UK, informal/dialect (OED) | There was some argy-bargy outside. |
| ax | ask (dialectal variant) | US, AAVE/dialectal (OED) | He axed me for directions. |
| adzooks | old-fashioned exclamation of surprise | UK/US, dated/informal (OED) | Adzooks! I didn’t expect that. |
| ante up | pay one’s share; contribute | US, informal (poker→colloquial) | Everyone ante up for the taxi. |
| awksies | playful form of awkward | US/UK, playful/informal (Twitter/UD) | That answer was so awksies. |
| afterparty | social gathering after main event | US/UK, informal (colloquial) | We’re headed to the afterparty. |
| all that | impressive, desirable; “worth praise” | US, informal/juvenile (1990s slang) | She’s totally all that and more. |
Descriptions
ace
Widely used British praise term; also a verb meaning to perform very well, common in speech and sport contexts.
ain’t
Colloquial, stigmatized contraction used across dialects; common in song lyrics and everyday speech.
aggro
Short for aggravation; common British slang for fights, hassle, or rowdy behavior.
arvo
Australian colloquial shortening of “afternoon”; very common in everyday Aussie speech.
arsed
Derived from “arse”; used to express lack of effort or interest; coarse tone.
arse
British vulgar term for backside or insulting someone; common in informal speech.
ass
Common coarse insult or reference to posterior; widespread in informal registers.
asshole
Strong insult; widely used in casual speech and media, considered vulgar.
apeshit
Vulgar intensifier often meaning extreme anger or excitement; common in spoken language.
amped
Derived from “amplified”; common slang in sports, music, and youth speech.
adorbs
Playful clipped form of “adorable”; popular on social media and among younger speakers.
awks
Clipped slang from “awkward”; used in speech and online to label embarrassing moments.
aww
Interjection used in spoken and online contexts to show sympathy or react to cuteness.
awol
Originally military acronym; widely used colloquially to mean unexpectedly absent or unresponsive.
applesauce
1920s slang for “nonsense”; now mostly humorous or archaic.
addy
Casual clipped form of “address”; common in conversation and text messages.
a-game
Idiomatic slang (often hyphenated); used in sports and competitive contexts to mean top form.
alt
Shortened label for alternative subcultures or tastes; used as identity marker in youth culture.
anklebiter
Humorous, slightly pejorative term for a toddler or small child; affectionate or dismissive tone.
attaboy
Informal spoken praise; variant of “that’s a boy,” used encouragingly.
attagirl
Feminine variant of attaboy; informal praise or encouragement.
airhead
Derogatory slang for someone perceived as ditzy or lacking common sense.
aight
Colloquial phonetic spelling of “alright,” common in spoken dialects and texting; often AAVE-associated.
anorak
British slang for someone obsessively interested in niche topics; mildly derogatory.
aunt flo
Euphemistic, informal reference to a woman’s period; common in casual conversation.
apple-polisher
Older slang for someone who flatters to gain favor; somewhat dated.
alley-oop
Originally basketball slang for a collaborative high, aerial pass and dunk; now mainstream sports term.
arm candy
Informal, often pejorative term for a visually attractive partner displayed as a status symbol.
amigo
Spanish-derived informal address in English; casual and friendly tone.
ammo
Informal shortening of “ammunition”; used literally or metaphorically for material to use.
all-nighter
Common informal phrase for working or partying through the night.
and I oop
Viral meme phrase from social media used to mark a sudden, awkward moment or cringe reaction.
adulting
Recent slang for performing tasks associated with adult life; often used humorously or complainingly.
argy-bargy
Colloquial British term for quarrel or rough-and-tumble argument; mildly humorous.
ax
Historic dialectal form of “ask,” common in African American Vernacular English and some regional dialects.
adzooks
Archaic or comic exclamation once used for surprise; now humorous or ironic.
ante up
From poker terminology meaning to put in a stake; used informally to ask for money or contribution.
awksies
Lighthearted, cutesy variant of “awkward”; common in playful online language.
afterparty
Informal term for a party that follows another event; widespread in youth culture.
all that
1990s youth slang meaning excellent or fashionable; sometimes used sarcastically.