What do “gurt” and “gurting” mean in slang?
“Gurting” is doing something smart but also a little risky. When you see “gurting” on TikTok or hear your friends say it, they think whatever they’re doing is a smart choice, but there’s a bit of danger to it. Some examples of “gurting” in a sentence include: “Brian’s talking to his crush, he’s totally gurting.” “Kelly was gurting when she stood up to the bullies like that.” “You’re going to start dating right after they broke up? You’re gurting.”
“Gurt” can also be a way to respond to “yo.” When you break the word yogurt into 2 parts, it sort of sounds like you’re saying hi to someone named Gurt. If you say “Yo!” to one of your friends, there’s a chance they may say “Gurt!” back if they’re trying to be funny. If your friend greets you by saying “Gurt,” respond to them by saying “Yo!”
Origins of “Gurt” and “Gurting”
Gurting became popular after a TikTok called it an underground slang term. On April 7, 2025, user @jdawg157 posted the now viral TikTok video of a lion sleeping in a field with text over it describing gurt/gurting as new slang terms. It says the definition is “when you do something that’s very smart but also very dangerous.” The original TikTok now has over 1.4 million views, and the term has now made its way into Gen Alpha slang.
Gurting videos play off a meme format that uses wildlife videos. A popular TikTok meme includes showing a blurry video of a wild animal with a caption saying, “I knew this was going to happen. What it’s doing is very smart but also very dangerous.” This meme even uses the definition of “gurting” so it’s a clear influence. An April 2025 TikTok by @snachez321.2 shows penguins walking in a line with the caption “See these penguins? I knew this was gonna happen. What [they’re] doing is very smart, but is also very dangerous.” Another April 2025 video from TikTok user @hystxric shows a video of 2 bears fighting in the middle of the street with a similar caption.
“Gurt” as a greeting started as a viral pun. Even though people have been making “Yo, Gurt!” jokes online since 2012, it became popular in March 2025 with a TikTok by @_aboyo. The background shows a cartoon penguin, and the caption says, “Me: Yo….gurt / Gurt: wassgood twin”. These videos are examples of “Juggtok” brainrot memes. This style of meme is most notable for the narrow text over a random background video and the distorted audio.
More Gen Alpha Slang Terms
Keep up with Gen Alpha with our other slang guides. New slang pops up so fast on TikTok and other social media, and we’ve kept up with all the trending terms. Here are some of the most popular Gen Alpha terms you might still run into online: 6-7: a nonsensical phrase used as a funny response Glazing: showering someone with compliments I know ball: another way to say “I know what I’m doing” Sendy: an alternative to say “send it” or “let’s do this” Skibidi: usually used to refer to something as cool
Comments
0 comment