Sneakerhead Slang: A Guide to Must-Know Terminology

June 26, 2024

If you want to be part of the sneaker community, you must know the slang. There’s no way around it. All these abbreviations, nicknames, and terms might seem confusing at first, but they are important if you’re serious about your passion for sneakers.

Whether you’re copping, selling, or collecting hyped sneakers, understanding the meaning of common terms will make things easier for you. You’ll know how to get into a cook group, set up a bot, and find your way through a successful checkout without delays. Also, it’ll help you avoid feeling and sounding like a noob.

But with so many terms out there, getting started can be quite overwhelming. That’s why we’ve put together a comprehensive, easy-to-follow list of sneakerhead slang for everyone. We start with essential terms and move on to more advanced slang for those who want to master the sneaker terminology.

Let’s go!

Essential Sneaker Slang

Here’s an A to Z list of essential sneaker terminology to help you get started. If you haven’t seen these terms by now, you’ll definitely come across them as you dive into the sneaker world.

A

ACG: short for “All Conditions Gear,” referring to Nike’s outdoor-focused sneaker line designed for all terrains.
ADC: short for “Adidas.com” and good to remember if you plan to spend a lot of time in cook groups or on Reddit.
Aglets: the metal or plastic tips on shoelaces that prevent the lace from fraying.
Alphet: a combination of “alpha” and “outfit” used to say one’s outfit is fire.

B

Beaters: worn-out, go-to sneakers you don’t mind getting messy.
BIN: short for “buy it now” or the lowest price for buying sneakers directly.
B-grade: sneakers with small, barely noticeable factory defects, damages, and flaws that don’t meet the brand’s quality control, sold at a lower than retail price.
BNIB: short for “brand new in box,” indicating a pair of sneakers still in the original box with original accessories.
Bot: an automation tool that autocompletes the checkout process faster than any human.
Bred: a combination of black and red referring to a sneaker’s colorway.
Bricks: hyped sneakers you cop to resell but end up making no cash.

C

Coke white: pristine white sneakers.
Colorway: a combination of colors and patterns applied to sneakers.
Cop: to buy a sneaker.
Cook group: a community of sneaker enthusiasts sharing news about drop dates and tips for copping sneakers, especially limited editions.
Cozy boy: a sneaker slang for someone that’s both fashionable and comfortable.
Crepes: another word for sneakers coming from the UK.

D

Deadstock (DS): brand-new sneakers that have never been worn before despite being released ages ago. Deadstock sneakers come in a box with all the tags.
Dope: describing something as cool and fashionable.
Double up: copping a second pair of the desired kicks.
Drop: a sneaker release.

E

Eyelets: the holes on shoes meant for threading the lace through.
Exclusive: referring to limited-edition items.
EQT: short for “equipment,” referring to Adidas’ line of essentials for athletes.

F

Factory-laced: brand-new shoes with untangled or untouched laces they leave the factory with.
Feezy: fake Yeezys.
Flip flop: changing opinion on an upcoming sneaker release from “drop” to “cop.”
Frags or Fragment: sneakers made in collaboration with the Japanese designer Hiroshi Fujiwara.
F&F (Friends and Family): rare sneakers available only to “friends and family” or designers and collaborators.

G

Garms: short for “garments,” meaning clothes.
GR: short for “general release,” referring to the lowest tier of sneaker releases.
GS: short for “grade school,” referring to sneakers designed for kids.
Grail: a sneaker pair that you have wanted for a long time.

H

Heat: a very cool or rare sneaker model.
High top: a shoe that extends above or on the ankle.
Hyperbeast: someone who buys sneakers just because they are trendy, often lacking their own style and jumping from one trend to another.
Hypebae: similar to a hyperbeast, a woman who buys shoes based on trends rather than her own taste.
Hyperstrike or HS: a very exclusive sneaker drop, usually an F&F.

I

Infrared: a bold color of red first used by Nike, now seen on the Swoosh’s most popular kicks.
Instacop: sneakers that are extremely trending or popular that you have to cop instantly.
Icy sole: A see-through or transparent sole.
Insole: the inner layer of sneakers that can be removed.

J

Js: short for “Air Jordan sneakers.”
Jumpman or JB: short for the “Air Jordan’s brand.”

K

Kicks: just like crepes, another word for sneakers.
KDs: Kevin Durant’s shoe line designed by Nike.

L

LBJs: Nike’s Lebron James line.
Lateral side: the outside, non-arched side of the sneaker.
LC: short for “legit check,” helping you avoid getting fufu.
LE: short for “limited edition.”
Lit: another way to say cool or dope.
Low-tops or lows: a sneaker that doesn’t cover the ankle.
Ls: short for “loss,” referring to unsuccessful sneaker copping.
LPU: short for “latest pick up,” referring to your newest kicks.

M

Mid-top or mids: shoes that extend to the ankle bone.
Midsoles: the layer between the outer and inner soles of a sneaker for absorbing shock.

N

NIB: short for “new in box,” referring to a new, unworn pair of sneakers in their original box.
NRG: short for “energy,” referring to Nike’s most exclusive product line.
NSW: short for “Nike sportswear.”
Nike lab: the place where Nike creates innovative designs and limited-edition items.

O

OBO: short for “or best offer,” meaning the seller is prepared to accept the highest bidding offer.
OGs: short for “original,” referring to the first release of a particular sneaker model.
On ice: a pair of sneakers you still haven’t worn because you’re saving them for later use.
Outsole: the hard layer on the bottom of sneakers.

P

Pack: a selection of shoes released as a series.
PE: short for “player edition,” referring to sneakers released exclusively for team players or athletes.
Proxy: an intermediary server between your device and the target sneaker website that hides your original IP address so you can cop multiple pairs of limited edition sneakers.

Q

Quickstrike: shoes released in limited quantities, often without prior notice, similar to shock drops.

R

Red Octobers: sneaker slang for all-red Air Yeezy II.
Reseller: a person who cops limited-edition sneakers and resells them on the aftermarket.
Retro: a re-release of an original sneaker model.
Restock: when a sold-out sneaker comes back in stock.

S

SB: short for “skateboarding,” found in Nike SB Dunk.
SE: short for “special edition,” referring to a particular sneaker or colorway released to celebrate a special event or occasion.
Size Run: the range of shoe sizes the retailer offers.
Silhouette: a sneaker’s design.
Sitting: shoes with an expired shelf life.
Sneakerhead: a person with a passion for sneakers, just like you.
Super Fire: awesomeness on another level.
Steezy/Steez: stylish with minimal effort.

T

Tackies: another word for sneakers, coming from Africa.
Tinker Hatfield: one of the most popular sneaker designers.
Tier 0 or TZ: Nike’s top retail accounts.
Toebox: the front part of a sneaker.
Tonal: one-color sneakers.
Trainers: another name for sneakers originating from Britain.
TTS: short for “true to size,” referring to sneakers fitting to your regular size.

U

Upper: the part of sneakers above the sole.
Ultraboost: Adidas’ line of running sneakers with boost foam in the soles.
Uptowns: another name for Air Force 1s, popular among New Yorkers.

V

VNDS: short for “very near deadstock,” referring to sneakers that are barely worn.

W

W: short for “win,” referring to winning a cop.
White on whites: a US sneaker slang for the all-white Air Force 1 Low.
WTS: short for “want to sell.”
WTB: short for “want to buy.”
WTT: short for “want to trade.”
W/WMNS: women’s sneakers.

X

X: a collaboration between two sneaker brands.
Xeno: a sneaker material with a reflective upper that changes colors with different lighting.

Y

Y-3: the sneaker collaboration between Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto.
Yeezy: Kanye West’s sneaker line in collaboration with Adidas.

Z

Zapatos: shoes in Spanish.

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Sneaker Slang

If you’re familiar with the essential sneaker slang we just covered, you can still learn something new. Let’s dive into advanced sneaker terminology to improve your lingo.

D

Deubre: Nike’s term for an ornamental shoelace tag.

F

Flaking: backing out of a sneaker deal after reaching an agreement with the seller/buyer.
FSR: short for “full-size run,” meaning all a sneaker model is available in all sizes, from the smallest to the biggest.
Fufu: fake kicks.
Fugazi: fake or extremely damaged sneakers.

G

GOAT: short for “greatest of all time.”

N

NOS: short for “new old stock,” referring to an unworn pair of shoes from an old sneaker release.

S

Sample: prototype sneakers not meant for the public yet.
SP: short for “special project,” referring to Nike’s most experimental collaborations and drops.
Stash: a feature in the Nike SNKRS app that lets you access exclusive drops hidden at specific physical locations.

Understanding Sneakerhead Talk

After demystifying essential and advanced sneaker terminology, it’s time to help you understand how to use these terms. Let’s look at some examples of sneaker slang used in everyday situations.

“I copped those heat yesterday.” – meaning I bought those rare, cool sneakers yesterday.
“These kicks are DS.” – meaning these sneakers are brand new and never worn despite being released ages ago.
"I'm on the hunt for the grails." – meaning I’m on the hunt for the sneakers of my dreams.
"Those are some fufu Air Jordans." – meaning those are fake Air Jordans.
"I'm gonna double up on these Yeezys." – meaning I’m going to buy a second pair of Kanye’s sneakers.
“I'm waiting for the retail drop on these Jordans." – meaning I’m waiting for the retail sneaker release on these Jordans.
“There’s a Quickstrike drop happening right now.” – meaning the release is sudden and in limited quantities.
“Those new Jordans are gonna be hard to cop.” – meaning the new Jordans will be hard to buy.
"There are so many hypebeasts these days.” – meaning there are many people who buy whatever’s popular without their own taste.
“I was all set to sell my Yeezys, but the buyer ended up flaking at the last minute." – meaning the buyer backed out of the deal at the last minute.
“Does anyone know the size run at the store for these Jordans?” – asking if anyone knows the range of sizes available at the store for the particular Jordans.
“I just got these BNIB Air Force 1s delivered today.” – meaning the kicks are brand new and still in the box.

Where to Find Sneakerhead Slang

Sneakerheads around the world communicate on many platforms. You can look for social media groups dedicated to sneaker copping or the sneaker culture in general, cook groups, sneaker forums, and sneaker communities online.

Sneaker slang is also used in online marketplaces like StockX, GOAT, Fight Club, Awol, Tradeblock, CNCPTS, etc.

How to Maximize Your Chances to Cop Limited-edition Sneakers

You’re probably learning all these terms for a reason – to cop heat, grails, or limited edition kicks with success. If you want to get your hands on the desired shoes before it’s too late, you should use a good sneaker bot and reliable sneaker proxies.

Not only will you be fast to snatch the kicks you want before others, but you’ll also be able to cop more than one pair of limited edition sneakers.

That’s because the proxies carry their own IP addresses, making your requests to the target retail website appear as if they come from different customers. This way, you can get around the one-pair-per-user rule and buy multiple pairs to resell or extend your collection.

To Sum Up

Sneakerheads have their own language, which makes their communication easier and more fun. But for someone trying to enter their world and cop sneakers, all those terms can sound confusing.

With our A to Z guide to must-know sneaker terminology, you can understand the community better and buy the shoes you want for your collection or buyers with confidence.