Slang dictionary
drip
[ drip ]
What doesĀ drip mean?
Leaks drip, yes, but when you’ve got the drip or are dripping, it means in slang that your look or style is extremely fashionable or sexy.
Where does drip come from?
If you have the drip, it means you have swagger, especially in how you look. You’re hot. You’re cool. You’re on point. You’ve got the sauce. You’re, you know, [insert “awesome” slang term here].
Drip appears to be a metaphor: You’re dripping with money, designer clothes, or confidence. Or as Bruno Mars sang on his January 2018 “Finesse (Remix)” with Cardi B: “We out here drippin’ in finesse /
It don’t make no sense.”
Its origin is disputed, including among rappers. The hip-hop blogĀ HipHopDX claims that the word originates in the 2000s Atlanta rap scene while a 2018Ā Urban Dictionary entry argues it comes from early 2010s Jersey City, New Jersey slang. However, it might also be a teen TV show from the late 2000s, Zoey 101, that introducedĀ dripping as slang for “cool.”
Ima say this one time only ! I Donāt Give a Flying Fucc about The 51³Ō¹Ļ DRIP ! Or Who ever say Dey created it ! BuT I make HITS and i really put dat Shit On š¤·š¾āāļø No Capp !
— Yung Gunna (@1GunnaGunna)
The drip was popularized by the rapper who herself we’ve already seenĀ dripping: Cardi B. Her 2018 hit “Drip” drips with rapper bravado: “Came through drippin’ (drip drip) / Diamonds on my wrist, they drippin’ (ice).”
Examples of drip
Who uses drip?
Thanks to Cardi B, drip often appears in the phraseĀ come through dripping, e.g., I came through drippin’ tonight with my red bottoms.Ā
This phrase is a favorite of people posting outfit pics on Instagram and Twitter when they feel especially have the drip or are dripping in designer goods.
Take a good guess at which Nigerian President was standing next to Jimmy Carter in this picture.
Meanwhile this was taken in October,1977 inside the White House.
Before I forget, peep the dripping Yoruba swag while rocking the black leather shoes. The starch on the Agbada šš¾
— Kennedyā¢ (@Ken_3dy)
DripĀ is especially applied to people’s outfits, if you didn’t catch that. You wouldn’t really say you that an event was soĀ drip. Better to use another slang word, likeĀ lit, for those situations.
Don’t get too caught up in yourself, though, or you’ll be called out for being arrogantāÄģ“Ē°ł stunting, or “showing off.”Ā It’s a fine line between having theĀ drip and flexin’ ³Ł“Ē“ĒĢżĢżdrip.
yāall really donāt be dripping like yāall think yāall r :/
— KT āā„ (@Notorious___FIG)
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of drip like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of drip that will help our users expand their word mastery.