HOCO
School slang for homecoming, especially its dance and related plans.
By Cal Hewitt, Gen X · ·
What it means
HOCO compactly covers homecoming tickets, outfits, invitations, and the event itself. In fandom, it can also abbreviate Spider-Man: Homecoming, but the student-culture meaning is primary.
See the quick definition in the HOCO dictionary entry.
How to use it
“Have you bought hoco tickets yet?”
Planning the school event.
“They posted their hoco proposal after school.”
Referring to a homecoming invitation.
Where it came from
HOCO is a transparent abbreviation of homecoming. Dictionary.com documented the school-dance meaning in 2018; no single coiner is known.
No single person is credited, the origin is commonly reported.
Where it's popular
U.S. high schools and student social media
It depends on schools holding homecoming.
How it caught on
- School traditionHomecoming became an established U.S. school event.
- 2010sStudents used hoco in posts about invitations and tickets.
- 2018Dictionary.com documented the acronym.
Common mix-ups
HOCO does not mean any party; it is homecoming, though it can also point to Spider-Man: Homecoming in fandom contexts.
Test yourself
Hoco decoded
0/31. What does HOCO stand for?
2. What setting is most associated with it?
3. What other title can hoco reference?
// the shop Shop LOST IN TRANSLATION shirts and hoodies for families who speak two kinds of slang
Related slang
More word guides
Questions people ask
What does HOCO stand for?
Homecoming.
Who uses it?
Mostly U.S. high-school students.
Can it mean something else?
Yes, Spider-Man: Homecoming in fandom posts.
Hoco can name the whole school-event package, from proposals to tickets to outfits.
Get the weekly decode
Get this week's list as soon as you confirm: what Gen Z is actually saying, what moved up or down, and the new terms that are not in the dictionary yet. A fresh one every week after that.