Dictionary.com has selected “67” as its Word of the Year for 2025, highlighting a slang term that has permeated youth culture, social media and sports without a fixed definition. The choice reflects the year’s embrace of ambiguous, meme-driven language that prioritizes shared absurdity over precision.
The term “67,” pronounced “six-seven,” emerged as an interjection used to convey indifference, uncertainty or playful nonsense. Users often accompany it with a shrugging gesture, palms up and alternating, to emphasize its casual dismissal. While some equate it to “so-so” or “maybe,” its appeal lies in its vagueness, allowing endless adaptation in conversations, posts and performances.
Steve Johnson, PhD, director of lexicography for the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning, described the term’s resonance in a statement. “Few slang terms have captured the cultural mood of 2025 quite like 67,” Johnson said. “It’s part inside joke, part social signal and part performance. When people say it, they’re not just repeating a meme; they’re shouting a feeling. It’s one of the first Words of the Year that works as an interjection, a burst of energy that spreads and connects people long before anyone agrees on what it actually means.”
The announcement underscores how digital platforms accelerate slang’s evolution. Dictionary.com tracks linguistic shifts through search data, social media mentions and online discourse. For 2025, “67” surged in usage, appearing six times more frequently in digital media during October 2025 than the average in 2024. This spike followed viral moments that propelled the term beyond niche audiences.
Origins trace to late 2024, with links to Chicago drill rapper Skrilla’s track “Doot Doot (6 7),” which sampled rhythmic chants incorporating the number. The song gained traction on streaming services, but its cultural breakthrough tied to basketball. NBA guard LaMelo Ball, standing 6 feet 7 inches tall, embodied a confident archetype that fans associated with the phrase, blending height with bravado.
By October 2024, TikTok and Instagram clips merged the song with highlight reels of Ball and other players, turning “67” into a celebratory shout. A pivotal video featured a young fan, dubbed “the 67 kid,” yelling the term during a youth league game, amassing millions of views. Overtime Elite prospect Taylen “TK” Kinney amplified it further through on-court antics, drawing scouts and fans.
Sports adoption accelerated the spread. NBA teams incorporated “67” into fan chants, while WNBA stars used the gesture in post-game interviews. In the NFL, players flashed the hand sign after scores, signaling triumph with ironic detachment. Even retired center Shaquille O’Neal, at 7 feet 1 inch, posted a video mimicking the phrase on social media, captioning it with confusion: He joined many adults puzzled by its mechanics.
This crossover illustrates slang’s fluidity in 2025, fusing music, athletics and online humor. Variants emerged quickly, such as “six-sendy,” combining “67” with “getting sendy” — slang for unrestrained energy or risk-taking. The mashup exemplifies how terms remix across genres, sustaining relevance through user creativity.
Dictionary.com’s selection process relies on quantitative analysis. Linguists review billions of search queries and content interactions annually, identifying spikes that signal broader adoption. Past winners, like “rizz” in 2023 for charisma or “enormous” in 2024 for exaggerated scale, similarly captured zeitgeist moments. For 2025, “67” edged out contenders by embodying a post-pandemic yearning for lighthearted disconnection amid heavier topics.
The shortlist reveals diverse linguistic trends. “Agentic,” an adjective describing AI’s autonomous actions, reflects technological advances, where systems mimic human initiative in tasks like scheduling or content creation. “Aura farming” denotes intentional efforts to boost personal allure online, often through curated posts or filters, chasing likes and follows.
“Gen Z stare” refers to a neutral, wide-eyed expression signaling disinterest or irony, common in viral reaction videos. “Overtourism” addresses the strain of mass travel on destinations, with crowds overwhelming infrastructure and ecosystems — a term that spiked amid record global trips. “Tariff” returned to prominence in economic discussions, denoting import duties that shape trade policies. “Tradwife” describes women embracing homemaking and conventional roles, often tied to online communities promoting gender norms.
These entries span innovation, identity and global challenges, showing language’s role in processing change. Dictionary.com updates entries daily, adding over 1,000 words yearly based on usage patterns. Regional dialects, like Southern hip-hop inflections in drill music, influence national lexicon, while platforms enforce or amplify trends through algorithms.
The rise of “67” also prompts reflection on generational divides. Educators report hearing it in hallways, sometimes disrupting lessons, leading to informal bans in some schools. Parents encounter it in lyrics or sibling banter, bridging confusion with curiosity. Its nonsensical core — a number devoid of inherent meaning — mirrors broader “brainrot” slang, where irony trumps clarity to foster belonging.
As 2025 unfolds, “67” persists in remixes: TikTok duets, playlist titles and even brand nods. Its staying power tests whether fleeting memes endure or fade. Dictionary.com’s choice affirms its snapshot of now, inviting users to decode — or dismiss — with a shrug.