What does pooped mean?
Pooped is an informal adjective meaning extremely tired or exhausted. It is used predicatively, as in “I’m pooped,” and is especially common in North American English, although it is also understood in Britain and other English-speaking countries. The word often conveys fatigue more emphatically than the neutral “tired”: someone who is pooped has little energy left and needs rest. The related expression “pooped out” is similarly informal and can intensify the meaning. In a less usual, usually humorous or euphemistic sense, “pooped” can describe someone who has defecated. Although pooped is blunt, it is widely used in ordinary conversation, and its humorous associations can make it less severe than formal alternatives such as “exhausted.” It is especially common in casual accounts of work, exercise, travel, or physical activity.
adjectiveInformally, very tired or exhausted. It can also mean having defecated, especially in a deliberately euphemistic or humorous context.
- Very tired or exhausted.
- Having defecated; used as a humorous or euphemistic expression.
"By the end of the hike, we were completely pooped."
"I was pooped after spending all day moving furniture."
"The dog looked pooped after its long walk in the park."
“I'm pooped” is one of informal English’s quickest and most unmistakable ways to admit that you have absolutely no energy left.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of pooped
The form “pooped” is historically connected with “poop” and “pooped out,” an informal expression associated with being worn out. Its exact earliest origin is not entirely clear, but the fatigue sense became established in informal twentieth-century English, particularly in North America. The word also retains a euphemistic bodily meaning through the older verb “poop,” meaning to defecate.
Related word forms
How pooped is actually used
The exhaustion sense is informal and especially common in North American speech. The expression “pooped out” is slightly more emphatic, while the bodily-function sense is usually humorous or euphemistic. The word may be considered mild vulgarity when used literally, depending on context and audience.