Slangora

drink the Kool-Aid

(chiefly, US, colloquial, derogatory) To come under the influence of a leader, organization, or movement to the point of believing uncritically in an espoused idea or ideology.

ˈdɹɪŋk ðə ˈkulˌdeɪDocumented since 1970s1970sGen XhistoricalCurrent207 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🗺️ Regional & Other
1 definition
Community
Seen in the wild
3 citations · last seen May 2026

Etymology timeline

Born ~1978 · 1 year of recorded use
1978Born2026: 3 citationsToday, 2026
Boomer / counterculture eraSee decade cohort →

Seen in the wild

Definitions

#1·Apr 27, 2026

(chiefly, US, colloquial, derogatory) To come under the influence of a leader, organization, or movement to the point of believing uncritically in an espoused idea or ideology.

See it in action
  • “Indiana voters drink the KOOL-AID once again. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/u...”

  • “In a shrinking cult hemorrhaging members, 100% of the remaining acolytes will still drink the Kool-Aid. Trump is a failed business man with 6 bankruptcies who doesn't know how percentages work.”

  • “Take your own advice. I don’t drink the Kool-Aid. I stay connected to objective reality, something the Democratic Party has trouble doing.”

Origin: Referring to the Peoples Temple cult movement, whose members committed mass suicide in 1978 by drinking a powdered drink mix (popularly, but erroneously, believed to be Kool-Aid) laced with cyanide. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Heard in the wild
  • “Indiana voters drink the KOOL-AID once again. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/u...”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “In a shrinking cult hemorrhaging members, 100% of the remaining acolytes will still drink the Kool-Aid. Trump is a failed business man with 6 bankruptcies who doesn't know how percentages work.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Take your own advice. I don’t drink the Kool-Aid. I stay connected to objective reality, something the Democratic Party has trouble doing.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?

Comments

Have a better definition?

Add your own interpretation of "drink the Kool-Aid".

Add definition

🗺️About Regional & Other slang

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.

See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.

Tags

Other words near "drink the Kool-Aid" (D)

Browse all slang words starting with D.

Related terms

People also read

Semantically related