Slang dictionary
moots
or moot [ moots, moot ]
What does moots mean?
In internet slang, moots is short for mutual followers, referring to people who follow and generally actively engage with each other on social media.
Moots is also commonly found in its singular form, moot. People active on social media often consider their moots as internet friends.
Where does moots come from?
The internet slang moot is not to be confused with its homonym moot, as in a moot point. That sense of moot is generally used as an adjective, meaning “doubtful” or “purely academic.”
Be careful also not to mix up the social media use of moot with an application of the same form in Australia, where moot can be vulgar slang for “vagina.”
The internet slang moot is a shortening and phonetic respelling of mutual follower. A mutual follower is someone you follow on a social media platform and who follows you back—the following is mutual, reciprocal. Mutual followers often have a closer, more active relationship online.
The phrase mutual follower is found on Twitter in 2007, just over a year after the platform launched. A sometime slang synonym for moot is mufo, an older contraction of mutual follower evidenced around 2010.
Moots, for whatever reason, became particularly popular among avid fans of K-pop around 2017 and has spread ever since. Before then, moots was mainly used in reference to a brand of mountain bikes called Moots.
Wherever my Moots goes (mtb bike) I have a smile on my face! Of course BCN offers a great setting pic.twitter.com/BbodCKWrty
— boyd cohen (@boydcohen) March 6, 2016
i would make a list for thanksgiving but i would add all my mutuals so theres rlly no point so hi moots i freaking love u guys even though i already said this (,:
— ً (@jihopewrld) November 23, 2017
hi um i just wanna tell to all my moots mybe i'll be inactive for a few days sooo i hope yall don't break the mutuals ilu so muchhh 💌💗💗
— 𝘵𝘢𝘦's bffie ♥️ [on hiatus] (@taeh__co) October 29, 2017
Examples of moots
Who uses moots?
Moot and moots remain most common among younger fans of K-pop on social media, especially of K-pop boy bands and on Twitter.
i miss interacting with my moots :( pic.twitter.com/mnwT9URPXS
— 𖧵 soup | 📌 (@txtversal) August 1, 2020
Hi I had a wonderful day today! Hope my moots had a good day too!
Take care everyone! I am going to sleep so goodnight 😴❤️
ps. I love a.c.e so much pic.twitter.com/7a97SVNl2r— Lydia 🦋/// (@Starr8Moon) July 31, 2020
so any of my moots who ship yoonmin show yourselves 💛 pic.twitter.com/Xfad2Yc3YN
— seresa⁷ semi ia (@bloomjimi) August 1, 2020
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of moots like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of moots that will help our users expand their word mastery.