Collins English Dictionary has named “mogging,” a slang term meaning to outshine or outperform someone, its Word of the Year for 2026.

The dictionary announced the choice on its website on Tuesday, describing the fast-growing expression as a term increasingly used by members of Generation Z and Generation Alpha in a playful and ironic way when someone is upstaged.

Collins is a printed and online dictionary published by HarperCollins in Glasgow, Scotland. It is known for tracking living, modern language and capturing contemporary slang, technical terms, and global English usage.

It defines “mogging” as “outperforming or outshining someone or something else,” often by making another person appear inferior in terms of appearance, confidence or status.

The word is believed to have originated as a shortened form of AMOG, meaning “alpha male of the group”.

According to Collins, it emerged around 2016 in bodybuilding culture, where it referred to the most physically dominant man in a gym, before developing into a verb and spreading through online communities, including the manosphere.

However, the dictionary said the expression has since entered mainstream usage, with younger people adopting it to describe situations in which someone or something is made to look less impressive by comparison.

Collins Managing Director, Alex Beecroft, said the word reflected the influence of younger generations on the English language.

“It’s a great example of how Gen Z and Gen Alpha have adopted a word and turned it into humorous slang, making the language their own and ‘mogging’ the rest of us!” he said.

Collins said usage of the word increased by 210 per cent in 2026.

Other expressions shortlisted for the annual recognition included “firewave”, referring to multiple wildfires breaking out over a short period; “ghost job”, a job advertised by an employer with no intention of hiring; and “carspreading”, describing the trend of vehicle manufacturers producing increasingly larger and heavier cars.

The list also featured “Manchesterism”, a political philosophy associated with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham; “fricy”, a blend of fruity and spicy; “friendslop”, a term for low-budget independent video games played among friends; and “bixie”, a hairstyle between a bob and a pixie cut.

Another shortlisted term was “P(doom)”, which refers to the estimated probability that artificial intelligence could cause the collapse of human civilisation.

Collins said its annual selection reflects changes in the English language and the issues occupying the people who use it.