Slang – Selfie.
Meaning (noun) – A photo you take of yourself, usually with a smartphone.
It’s one of the most-used words of the smartphone era — and it’s now officially in the dictionary.
What Does “Selfie” Mean?
A selfie is a self-portrait photograph — a photo you take of yourself, usually with the camera on a smartphone.
A selfie taken with more than one person in the shot is often called a group selfie.
A pole or rod that you attach to a smartphone or camera, so you can take a wider photo from further away, is called a selfie stick.
Example
“Look at Paula! She’s always taking selfies!”
Word of the Year
“Selfie” isn’t just slang — it’s official. Oxford Dictionaries named it their Word of the Year for 2013, after tracking a roughly 17,000% increase in how often the word was used over the previous twelve months. You can read more about it in CNN’s coverage of the announcement.
More Slang
What is slang?
Slang is very informal language. It’s usually spoken rather than written, and is often used by a particular group of people or in a particular place. Slang changes over time, and using it well is a great way to sound more natural when speaking English.
Frequently Asked Questions
A selfie is a self-portrait photograph — a picture you take of yourself, usually with the camera on a smartphone.
A pole or rod you attach to your phone or camera so you can hold it further away, fitting more of the scene (or more people) into the shot.
Oxford Dictionaries named it Word of the Year in 2013, after reporting that use of the word had increased by around 17,000% over the previous twelve months.
Test Yourself
📱 New: confused by ngl, wyd or no cap? See our guide to text slang meanings, with a fun quiz.
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