"Mogging" Is Collins Dictionary's 2026 Word of the Year — Here's What It Means

Collins Dictionary has named“mogging”its 2026 Word of the Year. The term means outperforming or outshining someone, often making them look inferior in appearance, confidence, or status. It likely comes from“AMOG,”short for“alpha male of the group,”which started in bodybuilding culture around 2016 before spreading through the manosphere and into everyday, mostly tongue-in-cheek slang.

The shortlist says a lot about the year too.“Ghost job”made the cut, and a UK study cited by Collins found about a third of advertised roles are ghost jobs.“Carspreading”nods to oversized SUVs crowding parking spaces, alongside“friendslop,”“fricy,”“bixie,”and the slightly ominous“P(doom).”

Collins writer Rachel Quin said much of the shortlist felt like one big mogging contest, and suggested resilience and fun as the year’s takeaways. Internet slang landing the top spot is a reminder that how we talk online now shapes the dictionary itself. So, have you been mogged recently, or did you do the mogging?