What it is means: A casual greeting.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
what it is
(slang, African American Vernacular English) A casual greeting.
ˈwʌt ˈɪt ˈɪzDocumented since 1970s1970sGen XhistoricalCurrent226 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~1972 · 1 year of recorded useBoomer / counterculture eraSee decade cohort →
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
someone in this building is cooking something incredible and i'll never know what it is
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BlueskyMay 2026
I hate it! I hate it! I hate it so much! I don't even know what it is that I hate... And I hate that I don't know what I hate!
View source
YouTube
point because this is what it is.
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YouTube
>> It's Gary. Oh, yeah. That's what it is.
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YouTube
>> It's Gary. Oh, yeah. That's what it is.
View source
Definitions
US
#1·Apr 27, 2026US
(slang, African American Vernacular English) A casual greeting.
Origin: Possibly a combination of what up with how goes it and similar phrases. First use appears c. 1972. See cite below. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
What it is means: A casual greeting.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
what it is means: A casual greeting.. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: greeting
Heard in the wild
“someone in this building is cooking something incredible and i'll never know what it is”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I hate it! I hate it! I hate it so much! I don't even know what it is that I hate... And I hate that I don't know what I hate!”
— Bluesky· May 2026“point because this is what it is.”
“>> It's Gary. Oh, yeah. That's what it is.”
“>> It's Gary. Oh, yeah. That's what it is.”
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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.
Used in
US
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🎤About Black culture & AAVE slang
Slang from Black American Vernacular English (AAVE), hip-hop, drag and ballroom culture, the Caribbean, and NYC street vocabulary. The single largest source of new mainstream English slang in living memory.
See all Black culture & AAVE slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "what it is" (W)
whatcha know goodwhatchuwhat does it all mean, Basilwhat howhat it bewhat it dowhatlikewhatnawhat onlyWhatsApp Universitywhat's brackingwhatsit
Browse all slang words starting with W.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- what it be71%
A chill, laid-back AAVE greeting that asks 'what's going on?' without really needing an answer. It's less a question and more a vibe-check — the kind of thing you say when you roll up on your crew and want everyone to know you're in a good mood. 'What it be' carries that same easy energy as 'what's good' or 'what's poppin', just with a slightly older-school flavor that gives it undeniable cool.
- hiya doin'69%
(US, colloquial) A greeting. Tends to warrant a reply.
- howaya67%
(US, colloquial) A greeting.
- heita67%
A casual South African greeting meaning 'hi' or 'hello,' used widely in informal conversation across ethnic and linguistic groups. Part of the rich Cape Flats and township slang lexicon, heita has the warm, easy energy of a quick wave or a nod between friends. It's the kind of greeting that signals you're in the know — comfortable in the informal codes of South African street culture. It can also double as a general expression of acknowledgment or solidarity.
- howzit67%
(slang, South Africa, Hawaii) Hello; what's up?.