Street voices
Janna
·
United States
"Drip is basically your clothes or your appearance, but it's just like very stylish, you know, looking good. Let's say it doesn't have to be expensive, but you just look really good and stylish. That's basically you having drip. An example would be damn, did you see his fit today? He's got mad drip."
What it means
Two meanings, two whole weather systems. In older English, a drip is a dull, slightly pathetic bore who drains the buzz out of a room. In modern slang, drip means sharp personal style: the fit, the trainers, the chain, the whole look when it’s hitting properly. Context does the heavy lifting here, or you’ll sound wildly off.
Usage examples
"He rocked up in creps and a clean tracksuit, proper drip. I joked he’s a drip for being late again, and he looked bare confused."
"New trainers, gold chain, fresh fade, the man walked in with serious drip."
"She's got drip for days, every fit looks like it cost a fortune even when it's all from the charity shop."
"You can’t chat to me about budget when your whole drip came together off Depop and still looks expensive."
"Man stepped out in a plain white tee and somehow still had drip. That’s when you know it’s not just the clothes."
Got something to say?
Edit, fix or tell us something. We review it and, if it is true, you will see it applied with your name on it.
Where it comes from
The older insult sense goes back a long way in English and was already around in the early 20th century for a weak, tiresome or foolish person. The fashion sense is much newer, growing out of US hip-hop slang in the 2010s, where drip evokes jewellery and style so hard it’s practically pouring off you.
Editors of this term
Your vote counts
Is this real street talk or have we lost the plot? Cast your vote.
