What Does Yeet Mean?

Yeet is one of those internet famous words that not a lot of people really understand. This is partially because there are so many meanings for the term, and the meaning changes depending on the context in which it is used. Notwithstanding, the word yeet is virtually everywhere.

But what does yeet really mean?

What Does Yeet Mean in Text Messaging, Chat, Social Media & Slang?

At first glance, yeet appears to be a nonsensical made up word, especially due to the fact that it’s seemingly randomly slapped onto memes, pictures and videos. But yeet isn’t nonsense or a made up word. The term actually has a proper concrete definition. The dictionary meaning for yeet is to forcefully throw an object.

For example, you can yeet your trash into a nearby bin. Basketball players yeet the ball into the basket when they perform a slam dunk and you can yeet an object at someone who makes you mad.

The closest to the actually proper usage of the word ( to throw) is when it’s used as an exclamation in videos where the persons featured have performed some heroic or outlandish throw while yelling “yeet”.

Otherwise, it is used on the internet to add humor to a variety of actions or verbal responses.

On the now defunct Vine platform, yeet emerged as a dance trend. The phenomenon was started in early 2014 and was popularized after a viral dance video by a teen who called himself Lil Meatball.

For most users of the word, however, there is no set meaning or context. It is simply a fun and expressive word that’s viral.

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How Do You Use Yeet?

Because yeet is such a common word, there is really no strict guidelines for its use.

It technically could be described as a verb, but its use most times does not confirm to this usage. Most times it is used as an adjective to describe a particular action, to express excitement or even joy. While it is not strictly an exclamation, most people use the word that way. I guess it’s just fun to yell “yeet” while something or someone is flying across a room.

With regards to using the word in everyday conversation, the easiest advice would be to use it as you would use any other verb.

Yeet is most often used as a stand-alone statement as a humorous nonsense word. People use it as an added effect whenever they want to elicit a chuckle from the audience.

Rise in the use of the word

Yeet’s usage as a common internet slang is thought to have stemmed from 2000’s hip-hop. Later on, as internet use became more common and short videos (vines) started gaining popularity, the term began to gain more traction. Vines, with persons doing acts such as dunking basketballs and yelling yeet, were a common thing in the early 2010s.

Later with the declining use of the Vine platform, the use of the word was seen on other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and later Instagram. Instead of videos, it began to show up on memes (funny still pictures). The word is most commonly used by persons from the Gen X population.

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Examples of using Yeet in Real Life:

The word’s usage can be observed on many social media platforms and on the internet in general. The hashtag #yeet on Instagram displays some 3.9 million posts.

Example 1

One of the posts featuring yeet on Instagram include a meme that showings an absentee father flying (dressed in a Superman costume nonetheless) into his son’s life 20 years later because the son had just won the lottery.

Example 2

Another video with the caption yeet shows a biker careening down a busy street, seemingly unable to stop. And yet another, shows a skateboarder barreling down a hill at what seems like a 100 miles per hour.

Example 3

It is also a popular term in music. Since the emergence of the term, many artistes and performers have skillfully used the word in their music and other popular productions. For example, there’s a 2014 popular song by Quill and Showtime titled Yeet. The song has over 200,000 views on YouTube and the word is featured at the end of every line.

The 2018 song Thank You by Logic also features the word on the official soundtrack. There are at least a dozen other songs released between 2010 and 2019 that feature the popular song in their lyrics.