What Does “Tripping” Mean? How to Use It & Where It Comes From

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Plus, other trending slang terms to know and love
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“Tripping” is a classic slang term with several meanings. Originally, it referred to being high on hallucinogenic drugs. Today, it also means someone acting crazy or overreacting to something. Read on to learn all the different meanings , where the word comes from , and other variations of the slang term .

“Tripping” Slang Meaning Explained

“Tripping” often means a person is overreacting or acting irrationally in response to something. It can be used in both serious and humorous contexts. It can also refer to having weird thoughts or making mistakes and blunders in general. Originally, it meant someone was high on hallucinogenic drugs like LSD.

Section 1 of 4:

What does “tripping” mean in slang?

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  1. The slang term “tripping” often means that you are overreacting or behaving irrationally in response to something considered minor. Use it when someone is reacting to something (serious and unserious) to let someone know that their reaction is overblown for the situation:
    • Example: “You talked to that girl even though you know she has a boyfriend? You’re tripping, bro.”
    • Example: “No way you threw that desk across the room for a TikTok. Dude, you’re tripping!”
  2. This meaning is more common among older folks, but “tripping” also means that someone is high on LSD, magic mushrooms, or other hallucinogenic drugs and experiencing the side effects (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there, feeling euphoric, or experiencing distorted visual perceptions). [1] Use it to describe yourself or anyone else who’s going “on a trip”:
    • Example: “I just took those mushrooms my dude got me. I’m tripping, man.”
    • Example: “I still can’t believe you guys did LSD last weekend. You must’ve been tripping hard.”
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  3. When you start to have weird or intrusive thoughts that usually don’t pass through your mind, you’re tripping. For example, if you’re usually the laid back type and don’t let much phase you, suddenly getting upset and hoping that someone has a bad day because they didn’t say hi to you would be considered tripping.
    • Example: “I just thought about throwing this egg at this car and they didn’t even do anything to me. I’m tripping, bro.”
    • Example: “I don’t care if you say I’m tripping! I think the Filet-o-Fish from McDonald’s is the best item on their menu!”
  4. When you accidentally do something that has a negative impact, whether it’s embarrassing or makes people think you’re a weirdo, that’d be considered tripping. Use it to describe embarrassing moments, like if you tripped over your shoelace in class and knocked over someone who’s sitting in their chair.
    • Example: “I took that math quiz and completely forgot that there was a back side. I was tripping, bro.”
    • Example: “I went shopping the day before they had that 50% sale because I completely forgot about it! I was tripping.”
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Section 2 of 4:

Where does “tripping” come from?

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  1. 1
    The slang term “tripping” first appeared among drug users in the 1920s. As drug slang, “tripping” was first used in the 1920s to refer to the effects people felt when high on LSD. This meaning became more popular as hallucinogenic drugs did, particularly during the 1960s and 70s. When you take hallucinogenic drugs, you often act erratically or seem detached from reality, which likely contributed to the other slang meanings used today. [2]
  2. 2
    “Tripping” was used to describe crazy behaviors in the 1990s. “Tripping” transformed into a way to describe someone who’s acting crazy or irrational around the early 1990s when Black hip-hop acts like Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, and Coolie started to use the phrase in their songs, making it an AAVE term. This meaning likely originated from its initial use as drug slang along with the use of the phrase “set trippin’,” which was popular among California gangs at the time. [3]
    • For example, Dr. Dre used “tripping” as a way to say he’s going crazy on the 1992 track, “Nothin’ but a G Thang”: “Never let me slip / ‘cause if I slip, then I’m slippin’ / But if I got my nina / then you know I’m straight trippin’.”
    • “Set trippin’” is when one gang set starts a conflict with another gang set, which may involve acting crazy or irrationally.
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Section 3 of 4:

“Tripping Up” & “Tripping Out” Meanings

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  1. “Tripping up” means to make a mistake or fail at something. It is typically used when someone makes a mistake that has an impact on the situation at hand. For example, if someone is working on a math project and they make a miscalculation somewhere down the line, they tripped up. [4]
    • “Aw man, he tripped up right when he was about to score!”
  2. “Tripping out” has multiple meanings. On one hand, it means that you’re high on drugs that have altered your state of consciousness (like “tripping”). On the other hand, it means that you’re having a fit or angrily flipping out. The meaning typically depends on the context it’s being used in. [5]
    • “Bro, you’re tripping out. You need to calm down.”
  3. When someone says “I be tripping,” it means they’re aware that they often overreact to situations, act crazily or irrationally, or make lots of mistakes. This phrase can be used in a serious or joking manner, depending on the context of the situation. For example, if your friend is always the type of person to act goofy and do stuff that gets them in trouble, they may say “I know I be tripping.”
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Section 4 of 4:

Other Slang Terms

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  1. 1
    Crash Out Similar to tripping, “ crash out ” is another AAVE slang term that means that you’re doing something reckless without thinking about the outcome. A crash out can be something severe, like intentionally crashing someone’s car and fleeing the scene, or lighter, like getting embarrassed and overreacting after making a mistake in class.
    • “He crashed out and tackled the referee over that call!”
  2. 2
    Type Shi “ Type shi ” is a slang term that is used to express agreement with someone or talk about something that’s cool, dope, or exciting. It has a wide range of uses, too. “Type shi” can be used to affirm someone who’s telling you about something that happened to them or it can be used to close out a conversation; it all depends on the situation. For example:
    • Your Friend: “ Brooo, I just came up off this new meme coin. My account’s looking nice 😋💸”
      You: “Type shiii you up bro! What coin was it? I’m tryna get up too 🙏”
    • Your Friend: “Can’t even tell you, bro. I’m tryna keep this on the down low.”
      You: “Type shi 😪”
  3. 3
    FAFO FAFO is an acronym (and a slang phrase) that stands for “f**k around and find out.” It serves as a warning to others not to mess with them, or else they may face consequences that they weren’t expecting. People also use it as a response to moments where someone did something that came with consequences they weren’t expecting.
    • For example, if someone says something offensive to someone at a gas station and that person retaliates by hitting them with a can of Twisted Tea, they FAFO’d.
  4. 4
    Big Back “ Big back ” is an AAVE slang phrase that refers to someone who is overweight or who eats a lot. The term is mainly used online due to its TikTok virality. Online, users use the term to describe “big backs” and “big back activities,” with the former referring to someone who’s overweight and the latter referring to activities that people often associate with overweight people, like eating a lot of fast food.
    • “I’m going full big back at my fav today.”
  5. 5
    Opp “ Opp ” is an AAVE slang term that’s short for “opposition.” It originated in hip-hop and gang culture, serving as a way to describe people you’re in a disagreement or enemies with. Many rappers have used the term, popularizing it and causing it to go viral on TikTok, Instagram, and other social media websites.
    • “She’s my opp, I don’t mess with her.”
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-thesaurus/tripping
      2. ↑ https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/trippin/
      3. ↑ https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/trippin/
      4. ↑ https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/trip-up
      5. ↑ https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trip_out

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