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cowabunga

(slang, originally, _, US, usually, _, jocular) Expressing amazement, enthusiasm, or joy.

ˌkæɔəˈbaŋɡəDocumented since 1940s1940sSilenthistoricalCurrent180 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
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4 citations · last seen May 2026

Etymology timeline

Born ~1940 · 1 year of recorded use
1940Born2026: 4 citationsToday, 2026

Seen in the wild

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#1·Apr 26, 2026

(slang, originally, _, US, usually, _, jocular) Expressing amazement, enthusiasm, or joy.

Cowabunga, dude!
Origin: , but was popularized (as Kowa-Bunga) by Chief Thunderthud on the American children's show Howdy Doody in the late 1940s or early 1950s, and became associated with American surfing culture. By the early 1980s, it was used as the catch-phrase of Cookie Monster on the American television show Sesame Street, and gained popularity with a broader audience after its use in the American cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the late 1980s and early 1990s. (For further treatment, see here.). Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Heard in the wild
  • “#Nowplaying On Deepstuff Radio Cowabunga Dude.. by Trevor Gear /@trevorgear {cr}{cr}{http://s6.autopo.st:8691/stream} #dremstuff”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “#Nowplaying On Deepstuff Radio Cowabunga Dude.. by Trevor Gear /@trevorgear {cr}{cr}{http://s6.autopo.st:8691/stream} #dremstuff”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Instead of "Cowabunga" we say "AH! MY BACK!"”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “The Cowabunga with cheese is disturbing”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.

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