Drip

/drip/

noun

Meaning

Informal praise for fashionable clothing, accessories, or an especially well-put-together appearance. Drip can describe the outfit itself, as in “that drip,” or a person's overall fashion sense, as in “she has drip.” It often suggests confidence, coordination, flash, or visible luxury, but expensive labels are not required.[2]

1. A stylish outfit or collection of clothes and accessories.
2. A person's distinctive fashion sense or ability to put together an impressive look.
3. By extension, a polished, flashy, or carefully presented personal aesthetic.

Examples

“That jacket is pure drip.”

“You came to brunch with serious drip.”

“The sneakers, chain, and shades are giving maximum drip.”

“No designer labels, still immaculate drip.”

“Rate the drip before I leave the house.”

Origin and spread

The modern fashion sense is a figurative extension of drip's literal image of something flowing or hanging off a person, especially the sparkle and excess associated with jewelry, designer clothing, or swagger. Its exact point of origin is disputed. Houston rapper Sauce Walka has claimed credit for using drip as a lifestyle term, while earlier hip-hop references show that the word was circulating before his claim. Sauce Walka's 2014 Saucemania period and the Sauce Twinz' Houston movement helped establish the term in rap culture; related hip-hop releases, including Gunna's Drip Season and Drip or Drown projects, helped carry it into wider online fashion vocabulary. By May 15, 2025, it appeared in a ranked Gen Z slang list as a term for clothing-centered style.[2]

How to use it

Drip is casual, approving, and often slightly performative. It works naturally in captions, group chats, gaming communities, and conversations about streetwear or outfits. It usually praises a complete look rather than one isolated garment, although people do use it for a particularly impressive item. Because drip has older literal and slang meanings—including a boring or feeble person—context matters, especially with older listeners.