We know that American workplaces are full of idioms—expressions like “think outside the box” or “move the needle” that don’t mean exactly what the words say. We’ve explored many of those in past posts and will continue to do so.

But today, we’re diving into something a little different: slang.

While idioms are often used in presentations and meetings, slang is more casual. It’s what people say in the break room, in a team chat, or after a long Zoom call. Slang helps you sound more natural, confident, and in tune with how American professionals really speak.

In this post, you’ll learn 16 slang terms that are common in the U.S. workplace. These are the words you’ll hear on Zoom, in meetings, or over lunch with colleagues.

Let’s dive in!

Read this dialogue and then we’ll review the slang terms:

Scene: Alex and Maya are coworkers on a marketing team. It’s the day after a big product launch, and they’re chatting in the office kitchen while grabbing coffee in the office kitchen, still recovering from the long day…

Alex: Thanks—I appreciate that. Honestly, I was wrecked by the end of the day. Barely slept the night before.

Maya: Yeah, I saw your Slack at like 2:30 a.m. I thought you were gonna bail on the kickoff call.

Alex: I almost did. I even pinged Samantha to see if she could cover for me, but she totally ghosted me.

Maya: Classic Samantha. She’s been such a flake lately—total no-show again this morning. Anyway, I think the launch looked great, but that internal follow-up meeting afterward? Total drag.

Alex: Right? I was ready to bounce after the first 15 minutes. Same slides, same talking points.

Maya: Yeah, but your campaign pivot idea? Total boss move. You pitched it so casually, but it totally landed.

Alex: It was definitely a bit of a flex—I’d been holding onto that idea since last week and was just waiting for the right moment to share it.

Maya: Well, it paid off. Now leadership wants a full deep dive on it in Thursday’s strategy session. Better start prepping.

Alex: Low-key dreading that already.

Maya: Same. And of course I’ve got back-to-back budget meetings that day, too.

Alex: Ugh, that’s a bummer! I owe you coffee after we survive Thursday.

Maya: Deal. But I’m bouncing now before someone ropes me into another “quick update.” Catch you later!

VOCABULARY

Example: Zoe’s been crushing it since she joined—her campaign got 10,000 signups in one week!

2. Wrecked

Example: I pulled an all-nighter to finish the slide deck and showed up to work absolutely wrecked.

3. Bail

Example: We were all set for the pitch, and then Marcus just bailed—no call, no message.

4. Ping

Example: If anything changes with the timeline, just ping me—I’ll be on my phone all day.

5. Ghosted

Example: We thought that investor was on board, and then he completely ghosted us after the Zoom call.

6. Classic

Example: The printer jammed again five minutes before the meeting—classic.

7. Flake

Example: Don’t assign Joe the deadline. He’s kind of a flake!

8. No-show

Example: I booked the meeting, sent the invite, even reminded her—and she was a total no-show.

9. Drag

Example: That status update meeting? A complete drag. We spent 40 minutes talking about font sizes.

10. Bounce

Example: As soon as the last slide went up, half the team bounced without saying a word.

11. Boss move

Example: She challenged the VP’s numbers—in front of everyone. Total boss move.

12. Flex

Example: Max said, “I finished the project over the weekend.” It was a clear flex—he wanted to show off!

13. Deep dive

Example: Let’s do a deep dive into user feedback before we touch the homepage copy again.

14. Low-key

Example: I’m low-key obsessed with our competitor’s branding. It’s just so clean.

15. Bummer

Example: They moved the product launch back two weeks. That’s a bummer—we were ready to go!

16. Like

Example: I was like, “Wait, are we seriously launching the new clothing line today?” And nobody had an answer.

Quiz: Test Your Workplace Slang Skills

2. You stayed up all night finishing a report and now you're exhausted. What slang word fits best?

3. If you bail on a meeting, what did you do?

4. “Just ping me when you’re ready to review the doc.” What does ping mean here?

5. If someone ghosts you after an interview, what happened?

6. What does it mean if someone says “Classic Mark” after he forgets to mute himself on Zoom again?

7. What’s a flake in workplace slang?

8. If a meeting is called a drag, what does that imply?

9. What does it mean if someone made a boss move during a presentation?

10. If someone says, “I’m low-key nervous about my pitch,” what are they trying to say?

✅ Answer Key

1. C – Performing extremely well

2. B – Wrecked

3. C – You left or canceled suddenly

4. B – Send a message

5. C – They disappeared and stopped replying

6. D – Mark did something he always does

7. B – A person who’s unreliable

8. C – It was boring or unpleasant

9. C – They made a bold, confident decision

10. B – They are slightly nervous but not showing it

For more American slang practice, please visit our full post on Substack American Slang!