fam

What it means

A short, affectionate term for your close friends or chosen family — people you trust like blood relatives. It's also used as a friendly direct address, like calling someone 'man' or 'bro.'

Examples

• Love you fam, thanks for always having my back.
• We're heading out, you coming with us fam?
• My fam's been ride or die since middle school.
• Nah fam, that's wild, you can't be serious.

Where it comes from

Short for 'family,' it grew out of AAVE and UK grime/road slang as a term for tight-knit crews. It spread widely through social media and texting in the 2010s.

Related slang