turnt
Highly excited, wild, or energetic, often describing a party's atmosphere or a person's state, with intoxication as one possible but not required sense.
By Cal Hewitt, Gen X · Researched from public sources · ·
What it actually means
Turnt describes a state of high energy, wildness, or excitement, and whether it implies drinking depends on what is being described. A party or event called turnt is almost always about crowd energy, while a person called turnt leaves more room for an intoxication reading. It is casual, celebratory slang rather than an insult, and it is closely related to lit but narrower in scope, since lit can praise almost anything while turnt stays tied to high-energy or intoxicated states in a party setting.
See the quick definition in the turnt dictionary entry.
Where it came from
Turnt developed in African American English from the phrase turn up, describing rising energy or intensity, and it functions as a variant past-tense form of turn. No single person is credited with coining it; the earliest located online attestation is an August 2005 Urban Dictionary entry, which is evidence of circulation rather than proof of invention. Artists including New Boyz, Lupe Fiasco, and Roscoe Dash helped carry the word into wider circulation through hip-hop between 2009 and 2013.
No single person is credited, the origin is commonly reported.
Where it's popular
US party, club, concert, and sports-crowd contexts, most closely associated with African American English and hip-hop.
Recognizable in mainstream American English since roughly 2009 to 2013, with no reliable data on current use by region, age, or platform.
How it caught on
- 2005Earliest located online attestation of turnt appears in an Urban Dictionary entry, evidence of circulation rather than invention.
- 2009New Boyz release the track "Turnt," carrying the word into wider commercial hip-hop circulation.
- 2010Roscoe Dash featuring Soulja Boy release "All the Way Turnt Up," with Dash describing the word as "2010 crunk."
- 2013The-Dream releases "Turnt," featuring Beyoncé and 2 Chainz, continuing the word's presence in mainstream hip-hop.
How to use it
“The whole club got turnt when the DJ dropped that song.”
Describing a party's high-energy atmosphere, no substance use implied.
“She was turnt by midnight and could barely stand.”
Describing a person's intoxicated state at a party.
“It's going to be turnt in there tonight.”
Predicting a lively, high-energy crowd before an event, common in sports contexts.
Common mix-ups
Turnt does not always mean drunk or high; excitement and party energy can stand alone without any substance use implied. It is also not simply a misspelling of turned. It is an established slang form associated with African American English, though turnt can separately occur as a nonstandard dialectal past tense of turn outside the slang sense.
Do you actually know it?
How well do you know turnt?
0/41. What does turnt mean?
2. Turnt developed out of which phrase?
3. Which of these best describes turnt compared to lit?
4. Who is credited with coining turnt?
Related slang
Questions people ask
Why do people say turnt instead of turned?
It comes from the phrase turn up plus a variant past-tense form of turn. That makes it an established slang word with a documented meaning, not a typo or mispronunciation of turned.
Is turnt an actual word?
Yes. It is slang rather than standard English, but it is a real, documented word with entries in major dictionaries. Outside of slang, turnt can also appear as a nonstandard dialectal past tense of turn, a separate use from the party sense.
Does turnt always mean someone is drunk or high?
No. Intoxication is one documented sense, but an excited party, a fired-up crowd, or a genuinely hyped person can all be described as turnt with no substances involved.
Is turnt the same as lit?
Not quite. Both can describe a great party, but lit is the broader word and can praise almost anything, while turnt stays closer to a high-energy or intoxicated state in a party setting specifically.
Where does turnt come from?
It comes from African American English, built from the phrase turn up. No single person is credited with coining it, and the word was already circulating before the hip-hop tracks that made it widely known.
New Boyz's 2009 single "Turnt" helped carry the word from African American English into mainstream hip-hop, years after its earliest located online use in 2005.
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