LARP
/larp/noun · verb
Meaning
As a noun, a larp is a live-action role-playing game in which participants physically act as characters in a shared fictional setting. As a verb, to larp means to take part in such a game or, in internet slang, to perform an identity, interest, lifestyle, or level of expertise that someone does not genuinely possess.[1][2][3]
- 1. A live-action role-playing game in which participants physically portray characters in a fictional setting.
- 2. To participate in a live-action role-playing game.
- 3. To pretend to be something one is not, especially by performing a false or exaggerated identity, expertise, hobby, lifestyle, or worldview.
- 4. A person or performance viewed as fake, theatrical, or lacking the substance it claims to represent, as in the whole thread was a larp.
Examples
“We’re joining a fantasy larp in the woods this weekend.”
“That crypto-bro persona is such a larp.”
“Stop larping as a mechanic when you’ve never changed your own oil.”
“The whole thread was a larp for attention.”
“Calling her a larp because she likes costumes misses the point.”
Origin and spread
Larp is formed from the initial letters of live-action role-playing, the in-person style of role-playing game in which players physically portray characters. The activity developed through several gaming and theater communities rather than from one single origin, and it spread internationally during the late 1970s and 1980s. The earliest documented use commonly cited for larp is 1990. The lowercase noun and verb later developed alongside the capitalized acronym, while online communities extended larping into a criticism of people who perform identities, expertise, political commitments, wealth, toughness, or other forms of status. That slang sense is documented in political commentary by September 25, 2021 and described as internet slang in 2026; its exact first use is uncertain.[1][2]
How to use it
Use LARP or larp neutrally when discussing the hobby, games, events, or players. In online slang, lowercase larp is usually accusatory and suggests that someone is performing an identity rather than merely exaggerating once. Calling a genuine hobbyist a larp can be dismissive, so context matters: the slang criticism targets perceived inauthenticity, not role-playing itself.
Sources
- 1. A.Word.A.Day — larpSupports: meaning, origin, earliest documented use.
- 2. Psychology Today — The New Definition of LARPingSupports: meaning, origin, earliest documented use.
- 3. Cambridge Dictionary — LARP | definition in the Cambridge English DictionarySupports: meaning.
