Mogging – meaning to outperform or outshine someone or something – has been named Collins’s word of the year 2026.
Announcing the winner in an article for Collins, the copywriter Rachel Quin said the term describes making someone or something look inferior in terms of appearance, confidence or status.
Believed to originate as a shortening of “Amog” (alpha male of the group), the word had first appeared in bodybuilding culture around 2016 before spreading through online communities, Quin said.
By 2026, the expression had entered everyday slang. “Teenagers mog elite athletes, a new video game mogs an old favourite, and your friend’s sourdough mogs the loaf you spent all weekend proving,” Quin said. “Basically, if someone or something has made you look a bit rubbish by comparison, you’ve been mogged.”
Quin said that much of this year’s shortlisted terms felt like “one big mogging contest”, pointing to trends across transport, politics, climate, employment and culture.
In transport, the shortlist features “carspreading”, which describes the tendency of motor manufacturers to produce increasingly longer, wider and heavier vehicles.
Quin said that sport utility vehicles (SUVs) made up more than half of new car sales in 2025, leading to tighter spaces in parking bays and country lanes.
Political terminology was dominated by “Manchesterism,” the philosophy associated with the prime minister, Andy Burnham, that focuses on devolving regional power and combining economic growth with social progress.
Burnham had revived the 19th-century term in a newspaper article in January, prior to replacing Keir Starmer as prime minister in July, Quin said. “His supporters hope the formula that gave Greater Manchester its glow-up can work for the whole country, while his critics are still asking what it actually means.”
Environmental entries include “firewave”, a term coined by researchers at Imperial College London in 2025 to describe multiple wildfires breaking out over a short period during dry spells. Climate conditions also led to the introduction of mandatory “hydration breaks” at every match during the 2026 World Cup across the USA, Mexico and Canada.
In the job market, “ghost job” made the list, referring to positions advertised by employers who have no intention of hiring. Quin said that a recent UK study revealed around a third of advertised roles were ghost jobs, calling recruiter ghosting “a new low”.
Entertainment and lifestyle additions include:
Friendslop A term adopted by gamers to describe low-budget, multiplayer indie titles focused on social fun over high-end graphics.
Fricy A portmanteau of “fruity” and “spicy”, reflecting a rise in popular food products such as pineapple and mango hot sauces.
Bixie A hairstyle blending a bob and a pixie cut, recently adopted by figures such as Zendaya, Jessie Buckley, and Helen Mirren;
P(doom) A mathematical shorthand representing the percentage likelihood that artificial intelligence will cause the collapse of human civilisation.
“Look across the shortlist and the pattern is hard to miss,” Quin said, noting that while 2026 had been defined by competition and escalation, the lexicon also reflected how society adapted. “If 2026 has taught us anything, it’s that mogging can take many forms, but some resilience – and a little fun – could be the key to winning through.”
