cuzzo

Cuzzo is American slang for cousin, used as a friendly address even to non-relatives. "What's up, cuzzo?" Not concerning. If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in. Most slang of this kind moves through TikTok and group chats, so seeing it in your child's vocabulary just means they are plugged into normal teen internet culture.

Cuzzo is American English slang short for "cousin," used both for actual cousins and as a friendly address. Use in casual contexts. Formal equivalent: "cousin" or "friend." Common non-native mistake: assuming a literal family relationship; cuzzo is often used between unrelated friends, especially in hip-hop and AAVE contexts. Read or listen to the word in context several times before trying it yourself; the right register is harder to learn than the dictionary meaning.