Recently, Dictionary.com shared that its word of 2026 was “maxxxing” – a suffix that “refers to the practice of pursuing an activity to the fullest or optimising a certain aspect of your life”.
It seems Collins’ pick is similarly Online.
They went for “mogging”, a slang word more commonly used among Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
So what does it mean, and why was it picked?
What does ‘mogging’ mean?
The dictionary’s definition describes mogging as “the act of outshining or outperforming someone or something” – you can “heightmog” someone, for example, or simply “mog” in a photograph.
TikTok creator and teacher Mr Philip Lindsay previously shared that “mog comes from the word AMOG, which stands for ‘alpha male of the group’”, a term first used in male-dominated spaces online in the 2010s.
This sometimes included “manosphere” sites. Partly because “mogging” is inherently competitive, Mr Lindsay warned that phrases like “frame mogging” (being more muscular than someone else) “comes from a really toxic thought process that is good [for parents] to be aware of”.
Mogging is also related to maxxing (what a sentence to type), Merriam-Webster points out.
In the 2020s, the publication shared, the phenomenon grew closely associated to “looksmaxxing” (going to sometimes-extreme lengths to look good).
But Alex Beecroft, the managing director of Collins, said that most of the time, “mogging” is used in a light and fun way.
“The selection of ‘mogging’ as Collins’ Word of the Year shows how each generation leaves its mark on language,” he said.
“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.”
In fact, while usage of the phrase itself rose 210% in 2026, Collins said it was this change in meaning, not the word’s popularity alone, that contributed to their selection.
“They chose ‘mogging’ as Word of the Year after observing a pronounced shift in usage, especially by Generations Z and Alpha, who have adopted the word as a form of playful teasing among friends,” a press release reads.
Which other words were up for consideration?
Other options on Collins’ list were “carspreading”, which refers to vehicles’ increasing size and weight, “ghost jobs”, or vacancies posted online that never actually had anything to do with a real opportunity, “fricy” (fruity and spicy) food and the “bixie”, which is shorter than a bob but longer than a pixie cut.
Andy Burnham’s premiership inspired the addition of “Manchesterism” to this list, too.
“Collins lexicographers not only track how often words are used, but they also analyse patterns of usage,” Beecroft said – which may be why their often-used and ever-evolving pick “trendmogged” all the others.
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