"bostin'" means excellent, great. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
bostin'
Excellent, great.
Definitions
Excellent, great. Quintessentially Birmingham/Black Country. "Bostin' food at that pub."
"Bostin' day out."
"bostin'" means excellent, great. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"bostin'" is informal English meaning excellent, great. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "excellent" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "bostin'" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Semantically related
- bost61%
(UK, _, dialect, Black Country, East Midlands) To break.
- boss58%
Excellent, great. Quintessentially Liverpool. "That match was boss" = "that match was excellent."
- boshter55%
(AU, slang, obsolete) Excellent; wonderful.
- bostoon55%
Irish English term for a foolish or dim-witted person, typically used with affectionate exasperation rather than genuine contempt. The word carries a rural, folksy flavour and is more common among older speakers or those invoking a traditional Irish idiom. Generally mild enough to use between friends without causing serious offence.
- bostoon55%
(Ireland) A foolish person.