Collins Dictionary names 'mogging' as 2026 word of the year

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 17:00 · Archive

Collins Dictionary has chosen 'mogging', slang for outshining someone, as its 2026 word of the year.

Collins Dictionary has named 'mogging' as its word of the year. The slang term, meaning to outshine someone or something, has seen a 210% increase in usage in 2026 and is most often used by young people 'in a playful and ironic way when someone is upstaged'.

Alex Beecroft, Collins managing director, said the choice demonstrates how 'each generation leaves its mark on language'. He described 'mogging' as 'a great example of how Gen Z and Gen Alpha have adopted a word and turned it into humorous slang, making the language their own'.

The dictionary's experts monitor a 27-billion-word database drawn from sources including social media to create an annual list of words reflecting the evolving English language. Other new entries for 2026 include 'firewaves', a series of urban wildfires in a short space of time; 'P(doom)', an estimation of the probability that artificial intelligence will bring about human civilisation's collapse; 'carspreading', referring to manufacturers building cars that are longer, wider and heavier; and 'ghost jobs', positions advertised without any intention to appoint anyone.

How it is being reported

• Collins Dictionary chooses 'mogging' as its 2026 word of the yearCollins Dictionary has named "mogging" as its word of the year.News4Jax · 3 Nov, 13:11
• Collins Dictionary chooses 'mogging' as its 2026 word of the yearCollins Dictionary has named "mogging" as its word of the year.Clickorlando · 3 Nov, 13:11

In this story: Collins Dictionary · Gen Z · Gen Alpha · Alex Beecroft

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