American Slang & Idioms Starting with "D"

151 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 out To leave college before completing a degree.
• 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...