Durex
(British, US) A brand of condom.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1929 · 1 year of recorded useDefinitions
(British, US) A brand of condom.
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(Australia) A brand of adhesive tape.
"Durex" means a brand of adhesive tape. 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.
"Durex" is informal English meaning a brand of adhesive tape. It is mainly heard in Australian or New Zealand English. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "a brand of adhesive tape" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "Durex" 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.
“Wait until they’re doing craft & ask you for some durex.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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(countable, British) A condom.
Pocket full of Durex, body full of Mandrex / Are we gonna have sex? Will you wear your knee socks?
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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
- French letter66%
(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, dated, euphemistic) A condom.
- condie65%
(slang) A condom.
- condie64%
A casual slang shortening of 'condom' — the kind of informal word used when you want to be matter-of-fact about contraception without using the clinical term or making it awkward. It's breezy and practical, the sort of word that comes up in a pharmacy conversation or a frank talk between friends. Not especially widespread, but perfectly functional and widely understood in context.