yeet
/jiːt/To throw something with great force or energy. More loosely, to move, send, or get rid of something quickly and decisively.
- He yeeted his backpack across the room and collapsed on the sofa.
- She yeeted the empty cup straight into the bin from across the kitchen.
- Just yeet that old app — you haven't opened it in months.
An exclamation of excitement, triumph, or raw enthusiasm. Shouted in the moment of throwing something or doing something with energy.
- 'Yeet!' he shouted, launching the paper ball at the bin.
- She jumped into the lake and screamed, 'Yeet!'
Adinary Nuance
When "yeet" first exploded online in 2014, it was specifically a dance move name — not a throwing word at all. By 2016, internet culture had repurposed it into a verb for hurling something forcefully, then stretched it further: "getting yeeted" can mean being removed, fired, or expelled, and "yeet" can punctuate any bold, energetic action. This meaning drift is still happening — some younger speakers use it almost as a filler for any decisive action ("I just yeeted my way through that exam"), which traditional dictionaries cannot fully keep up with. In short, the core idea is always force + energy, but the specific action it describes has grown very flexible.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- ném
- Spanish
- tirar
- Chinese
- 扔
- Japanese
- 投げる
- Korean
- 던지다
Etymology
Emerged from African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and went viral around 2014 via a Vine video showcasing a dance move called "the yeet." It rapidly evolved through internet and social media culture into the broad slang verb and exclamation it is today, and was officially added to Merriam-Webster in 2022.
Common phrases
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is 'yeet' a real English word?
- Yes — Merriam-Webster officially added 'yeet' in 2022. It started as internet slang but is now widely recognised. It is still very informal, though.
- What is the past tense of 'yeet' — 'yeeted' or 'yote'?
- 'Yeeted' is the standard past tense and the one most people understand. 'Yote' is a humorous fake-irregular form invented by internet users — fun, but not standard.
- Can I use 'yeet' in formal writing or professional emails?
- No. 'Yeet' is firmly casual slang. It fits texting, social media, and friendly chat, but would sound very out of place in essays, work emails, or any formal context.
- Does 'yeet' only mean throwing something?
- Not anymore. While its most common meaning is throwing with force, it can now mean discarding, removing, or doing anything with sudden decisive energy — the context usually makes it clear.