What Does Slay Mean?
Slay means to do something exceptionally well — to absolutely dominate, kill it, destroy in the best way possible. When someone says "you slayed," they're telling you that you showed up and left no crumbs. Zero leftovers. Perfection.
It's used for everything from outfits to presentations to comebacks. If you did it well, you slayed. Period.
Where Did Slay Come From?
Slay has deep roots in ballroom culture and the Black and LGBTQ+ communities, going back to at least the 1970s. Drag queens and ballroom performers used "slay" to describe someone who absolutely dominated a category or performance. "She slayed that runway" wasn't just a compliment — it was a coronation.
Beyoncé's 2016 track "Formation" helped push "slay" further into the mainstream, and by the early 2020s, TikTok made it universal. Now your grandma might say it. (Which honestly? She's slaying.)
How to Use Slay
- Compliment someone: "That outfit? You ATE. You slayed. You left no survivors."
- React to something amazing: "Did you see her presentation? Absolutely slayed."
- Self-hype: "I'm about to slay this interview."
- As a standalone: Just commenting "SLAY" on someone's post is a whole vibe.
Examples in the Wild
"she walked into that meeting and SLAYED. HR was gagging."
"my 4-year-old just picked out her own outfit and honestly she slayed harder than most adults"
Why It Matters
Slay is one of those words that transcended its origin community and became genuinely universal — which is both beautiful and complicated. It's important to honor where it came from (ballroom and Black culture) while appreciating how it now connects people across demographics in shared celebration.
At its core, slay is about hype. It's about telling someone they crushed it. And honestly? We could all use more of that energy.