In a striking linguistic shift, the Gen Z slang term 'mogging' has been crowned Collins English Dictionary's word of the year, marking its journey from the fringes of online subcultures to mainstream usage. The word, which originated in the manosphere, an online community often associated with hyper-masculine and misogynistic content, has now been embraced by celebrities and media alike.

From Manosphere to Mainstream

Collins defines 'mogging' as 'the act of outshining or outperforming someone or something,' typically used in a playful manner. Over the past year, its usage has skyrocketed, particularly in discussions about celebrity culture, and there are signs it is entering everyday vocabulary. Tony Thorne, a language consultant at King's College London, notes, 'I heard someone the other day say they were "walk-mogged" - basically just someone else in the street about their age walking faster than them.'

The term gained traction through its association with Clavicular, an influencer known for 'looksmaxxing' content, who recently pleaded not guilty to charges including rape. He regularly posts clips of himself attempting to 'mog' people in public spaces. The word reached a wider audience when posts describing the controversial streamer as having been 'brutally frame mogged' went viral earlier this year.

A Longer History Than Expected

However, 'mogging' may be older than its recent surge suggests. Thorne explains that the term, often traced back to the acronym AMOG, or Alpha Male of the Group, was originally used in the 2010s on bodybuilding and incel message boards before being co-opted by a younger, broader audience. 'It was a toxic term about extreme competitiveness, the urge to dominate. People then started to use it ironically and teasingly,' he says.

In a nod to its origins, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hollywood royalty and seven-time Mr Olympia, posted footage of himself in his bodybuilding heyday earlier this year with the ironic caption 'someone just tried to explain this new trend "frame mogging" to me...'

Detoxification and Softening

Slang terms breaking out of the community that coins them isn't unprecedented. 'It's becoming more like the drag queen slang that was also used until recently - "it was lit", "she slays", "he's a king", "she's a queen". It's become part of that more sort of silly, kind celebrity-type banter,' Thorne says. He believes the term has now 'largely been detoxified' as it mostly 'retains that tinge of mockery or irony'. 'I can't speak for all the instances when it's used, but for young people I know who are using it today, there is not anything unhealthy about it anymore.'

Reflecting this softer and more mainstream meaning, British Vogue captioned their photo of Heated Rivalry actor Hudson Williams arriving at the 2026 Golden Globes as him 'mogging at the Golden Globes'. And in an interview earlier this year, figure skater Alysa Liu said her 'main goal for this competition was to mog'.

Competitive Element Remains

At its heart, there still remains a competitive element to how the word is used to frame a situation. 'The language still retains this element of hyper-individual, competitive performance culture. It's still got that element,' Thorne says. A recent online debate was sparked between fans comparing People magazine's choice for 2026's sexiest man alive, The Pitt actor Noah Wyle, with the 2025 winner, Wicked star Jonathan Bailey.

Last year, fans of Zara Larsson and Tate McRae pitched the two singers against each other after the Swedish popstar opened for McRae on the North American leg of the latter's Miss Possessive tour. Some fans viewed Larsson's performance as having 'mogged' McRae, despite being a support act. Larsson later pushed back on the comparison, speaking about her respect for McRae during an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast.

Another famous face brought into the mogging debate is Cillian Murphy, with the Irish actor being compared favourably to his co-stars by some.

Beyond Competition

However, there are signs the term is starting to break beyond pitting people against one another to simply mean someone is appearing commanding. During her appearance on Celebrity Traitors, some online commentary referred to Maya Jama mogging - even while hanging out of a helicopter. 'When it's used in this gushing celebrity context, it's a bit like using "slay" - "she's a queen, she slays",' Thorne says.

Mogging can also take many forms and refer to someone excelling in any number of different ways. 'I think there are all sorts of opportunities - style-mogging, height-mogging, car-mogging,' Thorne says. 'You can apply [mogging] to almost anything now.'

As 'mogging' continues to evolve, its selection as Collins' word of the year underscores the dynamic nature of language and how terms from niche online communities can permeate mainstream culture, often shedding their controversial origins along the way.