What does turnt mean?
“Turnt” is an informal American adjective meaning extremely excited, enthusiastic, or energized. Its spelling is a stylized shortening of “turned” in “turned up,” suggesting that someone or something has been turned all the way up. The word is strongly associated with contemporary hip-hop and internet or social-media language, and it appears especially often in comments about music, parties, performances, or sudden bursts of excitement. It may also be used more literally to indicate that music or an atmosphere has been made louder or more intense. Because “turnt” is slang rather than standard vocabulary, it can sound conspicuously colloquial or stylistically marked in formal writing, and its meaning depends heavily on context. Compared with “turned,” it preserves a sense of high energy and emphatic excitement, while the standard past participle works in many more literal and figurative contexts. Though short and visually distinctive, it adds a specific cultural tone that plain words such as “excited” do not fully convey.
adjectiveAn informal adjective meaning highly excited, enthusiastic, or energized, typically as if one has been “turned all the way up.”
- Chiefly US, informal: highly excited, enthusiastic, or energized, especially in response to music, performance, or intense activity.
"The crowd got turnt when the bass dropped."
"The crowd got turnt when the bass dropped."
"By midnight, the whole room was turnt."
“Turnt” turns the familiar phrase “turned up” into hip-hop’s visual shorthand for being switched on.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does turnt come from?
“Turnt” is a stylized reduced form of “turned” in the phrase “turned up,” with the final syllable of “turned” omitted. The form is associated with African American English and became especially prominent through Southern hip-hop and trap music during the 2000s before spreading more widely online. Its underlying root is the English verb “turn,” which belongs to a broader Latin-derived family that includes “tour,” “detour,” and “tourniquet.”
How turnt is actually used
This is strongly informal slang associated with hip-hop and internet culture. It is often written in all capitals for visual emphasis and can sound conspicuously colloquial or stylistically marked in formal writing.
Easily confused with turnt
“Turnt” is a stylized, slangy shortening of “turned” in “turned up,” while “turned” is the standard past participle and retains a much wider range of literal and figurative meanings.