What Does “Foenem” & “OFN” Mean in Slang?

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Learn all the meanings and uses of the popular slang term
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Have you seen “foenem” or “OFN” on your social feeds, and it left you scratching your head? Don’t worry—you’re not alone! This piece of Chicago street lingo is a way to talk about your closest crew. But this slang can shape-shift depending on how you use it. This article breaks down the many meanings of “foenem” and gives you plenty of examples of how to use it whether you’re commenting on an Instagram post or hanging out with your friends.

What does “foenem” mean?

“Foenem” is a slang term that means “friends and family.” It it became popular on social media after being used by rappers like Chief Keef and King Von. People use it as part of the phrase “on foenem” (abbreviated as “OFN”) to mean something like “I swear.”

Section 1 of 4:

Foenem Meaning

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  1. Think of “foenem” as a secret handshake between you and your closest friends. Straight out of African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), it’s the perfect word to use when you’re talking about your chosen family, with a meaning that’s something like “posse” or “crew.” [1]
    • Some feel it’s a shortened form of “folks and them.”
    • “Foenem” is sometimes spelled “foe nem” or “foe n em.”
  2. Abbreviated as “OFN” for use in texts and on social media, “on foenem” means that you’re swearing on the lives of your crew to let someone know you’re serious and telling the truth. “On foenem grave” is a way to say you’re deathly serious. It means you’re swearing on the graves of the people closest to you. [2]
    • “On foenem” can also mean “I agree with you” in some contexts.
    • “O4N” is another abbreviation sometimes used for “on foenem.”
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Section 2 of 4:

How to Use “Foenem”

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  1. When you drop “foenem” into a conversation, you’re talking about a group of your closest people. But you can also use it to talk about your ride-or-die best friend when you don’t want to name names. A few examples are:
    • “I was hangin’ with my foenem all night, so I didn’t get home until morning.”
    • “My foenem always got my back.”
    • “Imma meet up with my foenem to catch a movie.”
    • “My foenem’s back in town to celebrate my birthday. We gettin’ turnt up tonight!”
    • “They better not mess with my foenem.”
  2. Use it the same way you’d say, “I swear on my mother’s life” or “word to my mother” to let people know you mean business. When you say “on foenem,” it’s like you’re swearing on the lives of your friends and family. Saying “on foenem grave” makes it maximum-level, no-jokes serious. It’s like saying, “I swear on my mother’s grave.” It’s also used to ask someone if they’re being 100% real with you.
    • “On foenem, last night, I saw the ghost of my grandma in the bathroom.”
    • “I found $200 in the pocket of my winter coat. On foenem.”
    • “My cousin Gina, on foenem, is going to be on TV in one of those singing competitions.”
    • “So you’re saying you ate that entire 4-tier cake all by yourself? On foenem?”
    • “You really just signed a record deal? On foenem?”
  3. When someone speaks truth, and you say, “on foenem,” it means you’re all in on what they said. Add it to a conversation like you would the phrases “no lie” or “truth.” If you respond to someone by saying, “Yeah, on foenem” they’ll understand that you’re on board with what they’re saying. A few other examples are:
    • Them: “He is the best-looking one in that group.”
      You: “On foenem.”
    • Them: “You can’t live in Florida in the summer without air conditioning. That’s a fact.”
      You: “On foenem.”
    • Them: “These fried dumplings are the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.”
      You: “On foenem.”
    • Them: “Chicago is my favorite city in the world.”
      You: “On foenem.”
    • Them: “I wish I was sitting on the beach sipping one of them umbrella drinks right about now.”
      You: “On foenem.”
  4. It still means, “I swear,” but it’s like you’re making an oath to say how irritated you are with a situation. Use it like you’d use, “I swear to god!” Using it like this is rare, though, so the meaning might be lost on some. Examples are: [3]
    • “On foenem, if you look at me like that one more time, I will leave this house.”
    • “Get over here right now, or on foenem, we can’t be friends anymore.”
    • “If someone doesn’t stop stealing the cheese off my sandwich at work, on foenem, I’m going to flip a table.”
    • “On foenem, I can not take another day of this heat.”
    • “On foenem, that fly is gettin’ on my very last nerve.”
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Section 3 of 4:

Where did “foenem” come from?

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  1. Chicago rappers like Chief Keef and King Von helped give it more exposure and make it popular with more people. Chief Keef released his fourth album in 2021 with the title 4Nem , which is another version of “foenem.” The slang also appears in the King Von song “Pressure” from his album Grandson , which was released in 2023. “Foenem” spread outside Chicago when fans of rap and hip-hop started using it on TikTok and Twitter. [4]
    • Rappers usually use “on foenem” to say they’re being serious or telling the real truth.
    • “Foenem” may have originally been used in the early 2000s by people living in Chicago South Side neighborhoods.
    • Some believe the gang Four Corner Hustlers use “foenem” (short for “Four & them”) as a way for members to confirm their loyalty and respect for each other and their missing friends. [5]
Section 4 of 4:

Alternative Meanings of OFN

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  1. It means a piece of information or gossip is out of date, or people have moved on from it. For example: “OFN, but I lost my favorite sweater a few weeks ago. You haven’t seen it, have you?” [6] Less often, “OFN” is used as an abbreviation for other unrelated phrases.
    • “Oh f*** no”
    • “On fleek now”
    • “Other f****** nonsense”
    • “Out for now”
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      References

      1. ↑ https://englishstudyonline.org/ofn-meaning/
      2. ↑ https://slang.net/meaning/on_foe_nem_grave
      3. ↑ https://slang.net/meaning/on_foe_nem_grave
      4. ↑ https://slang.net/meaning/foe_nem
      5. ↑ https://englishstudyonline.org/ofn-meaning/
      6. ↑ https://englishstudyonline.org/ofn-meaning/

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