What Does "Sus" Mean?

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How to use the slang terms "sus" and "sussy baka"
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The word “sus” seemed to come out of nowhere during the 2020 pandemic, but if you aren’t up-to-date on your digital slang, it can definitely be a headscratcher. Short for “suspicious,” “sus” took the world by storm thanks to the murder mystery game Among Us —but that’s not all. Read on to learn everything there is to know about this social media slang word, including a popular meme-y variation of it.

Sus Meaning

Sus is a slang term for “suspicious” and is used to describe someone or something questionable. The word “sus” originated in the 20th century but became popular during the pandemic thanks to the video game “Among Us."

Section 1 of 5:

Sus Definition

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  1. It’s most commonly said by kids and teens, and is used to describe someone or something that’s a little fishy or questionable. [1]
    • “That weather report is sus, dude. Weren’t we supposed to get snow today?”
    • Person A: “Is it true that Jeff is transferring to a new school?”
      Person B: “Not sure, bro. That sounds pretty sus.”
    • The word “sus” is often used on social media (like TikTok), but it means the same thing across all platforms.
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Section 2 of 5:

How to Use “Sus”

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  1. Maybe you see something strange on social media, or a friend tells you something that isn’t quite believable. Use the word “sus” to properly share your suspicions and make your doubts known.
    • “The new menu item at Burger King seems incredibly sus.”
    • “I dunno, man. Their behavior seems pretty sus to me.”
    • “I got a text saying I won a free iPad—it was incredibly sus.”
Section 3 of 5:

Sus Origins

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  1. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the multiplayer video game Among Us became immensely popular, which likely skyrocketed the usage and notoriety of the word "sus."
    • Among Us is essentially an ongoing murder mystery game—1 or 2 of the players are assigned as being “imposters” on a spaceship, whose mission is to kill all the other crewmates without being identified. When dead bodies are discovered, all the crewmates meet and theorize who the imposter could be; at this point, certain players out other players as being “sus” in an attempt to get them ejected from the spaceship. [2]
    • If you’re a parent and your child cracks a joke using words like “imposter” or “eject/ejected,” they’re almost certainly referencing the game.
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Section 4 of 5:

Sussy Baka Definition

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  1. TikTok user Akeam Francis first coined the phrase “sussy baka” in one of his videos, which is a combination of the word sus (using the made-up word “sussy”) and “baka,” which is the Japanese word for fool or idiot. [3] At face value, the term essentially means “suspicious idiot,” but it’s never used in a serious manner. [4]
    • The term has been repurposed into a variety of different memes, and even made it into a Cameo video recorded by Breaking Bad actor Dean Norris, who famously says “Don’t lie to me, Walt [the main character of BB], you sussy baka!” [5]
Section 5 of 5:

Sus vs. Suss

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  1. The word “suss” is a verb that means “to discover or understand something.” Typically, “suss” is used in the past tense, like “I sussed this out” or “They sussed that out.” It doesn’t have to do with someone or something being suspicious. [6]
    • “I sussed out that it was a raccoon knocking over my garbage cans, not my neighbor’s dog.”
    • “I felt really sick last night and I sussed that it had something to do with what I ate.”
    • Did You Know? In the UK, “suss” is used as an alternative spelling for “sus." [7]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sus
      2. ↑ https://www.ign.com/wikis/among-us/How_To_Play
      3. ↑ https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sussy-baka
      4. ↑ https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sussy%20baka
      5. ↑ https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/dean-norris-sussy-baka
      6. ↑ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/suss
      7. ↑ https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/iexjdka

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