If your kids have said someone “totally mogged” a friend in a costume contest or a pickup game, they were using what is now, officially, the word of the year. Collins Dictionary announced on Tuesday, Nov. 3, that “mogging” is its 2026 Word of the Year, sharing the pick on Instagram as millions of Americans were heading to the polls.
Collins defines mogging as “the act of outshining or outperforming someone or something.” According to the dictionary, use of the word rose 210% in 2026. Collins builds its yearly list by monitoring a 27-billion-word database that draws on sources including social media, The Associated Press reported.
A playful word with a less playful past
Most young people use mogging the way earlier generations used “showed up” or “upstaged.” Collins says Gen Z and Gen Alpha picked up the word and use it in a playful, ironic way, often when one person steals the spotlight from another. Collins managing director Alex Beecroft told the AP the choice shows that “each generation leaves its mark on language.”
The word’s roots are rougher. Collins says it traces back to “AMOG,” short for “alpha male of the group,” a gym and bodybuilding term for the most physically dominant man in the room, with roots going back about a decade, E! News reported. The Irish Times, citing reporting by The Guardian, notes that the verb took shape in online forums of the so-called manosphere in the 2010s, where “mogging” meant outranking another man in looks and appeal.
That history connects mogging to another big word of 2026. Last week, Dictionary.com named “maxxing” its Word of the Year, and its lexicographers pointed to “looksmaxxing” as the term that helped turn the suffix into a trend. Upstormed News looked at that pick and some healthier things families can “maxx” instead.
How mogging went mainstream
This year, the word spilled out of niche corners of the internet and into pop culture. E! News pointed to several moments fans described as mogging, including Beyoncé’s skeleton-inspired gown at the 2026 Met Gala and figure skater Alysa Liu, who said her goal at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics was to mog and then won two gold medals.
Today, many kids use the word as a light tease among friends, the same way they might trade jokes about who wore the best outfit to school. Like a lot of slang, its meaning depends on who is saying it and how.
The rest of Collins’ 2026 list
Collins’ shortlist reads like a snapshot of the year’s worries and fads. Among the other words it highlighted, according to the AP and The Irish Times:
- Ghost jobs: job listings posted with no intention of hiring anyone, a sore spot for job seekers.
- P(doom): an estimate of the probability that artificial intelligence could cause the collapse of human civilization.
- Firewaves: a series of urban wildfires in a short period of time.
- Carspreading: automakers’ habit of building cars longer, wider and heavier.
- Fricy: trendy foods and drinks that are both fruity and spicy.
- Friendslop: low-budget, independently made video games played with friends.
- Bixie: a haircut shorter than a bob but longer than a pixie.
- Hydration break: a pause for drinks during a sporting event, much discussed during the 2026 World Cup.
Taken together with Dictionary.com’s list, which included “affordability,” “data center” and “unc,” the picks suggest 2026 was a year shaped by online culture, artificial intelligence and the cost of everyday life. More word-of-the-year picks from other dictionaries are expected as the year winds down, and Upstormed News will follow them.
Why it matters for families
Slang moves fast, and kids often learn words online before parents ever hear them. Knowing what mogging means, and where it came from, can help parents tell the difference between harmless teasing and talk that ranks people by their looks. A few ideas:
- Ask your kids how they and their friends use the word. You may learn it is mostly a joke about sports or outfits.
- If the word comes up in the context of rating faces or bodies, use it as a chance to talk about self-worth, kindness and how online “looksmaxxing” content can make people feel worse about themselves.
- Turn the idea around: celebrate kids who “outshine” in effort, generosity or helping a sibling, not just in appearance.
- Keep an eye on the creators and forums your kids follow, the same way you would with any other media. Our look at phones that do less has ideas for simpler tech at home.
Words of the year are not endorsements. They are a record of what people actually said. This year’s list is a reminder that the internet is still writing much of our everyday language, from Election Day traditions like the ‘I Voted’ sticker trend to the slang kids bring home from school.
Read more: “Maxxing” Is the Word of the Year. Here’s What Your Family Can Maxx Instead
Have you heard your kids say “mogging” yet, and what other slang has your family picked up this year?
Sources: The Associated Press via ABC News, “Collins Dictionary chooses ‘mogging’ as its 2026 word of the year” (November 3, 2026); The Irish Times, “‘Mogging’ is Collins’ Word of the Year for 2026. What does it mean?” (November 3, 2026); E! News via Yahoo Entertainment, “Collins English Dictionary Names ‘Mogging’ 2026 Word of the Year” (November 4, 2026); CBS News, “‘Maxxing’ is Dictionary.com’s 2026 Word of the Year” (October 26, 2026)
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