thot

Thot is a slang for a “slut” or “whore.” It originally stands for that ho over there. Thot is sometimes used as a generic term for a woman, similar to ho or b*tch.

While many have reclaimed the term, thot is generally considered sexist and disparaging.

Content warning: the following sections include further references to sexual and sexist content, which is involved in the history and use of the slang term.

A thot originates as an offensive slang term for a woman who is seen as loose, easy, attention-seeking, and trashy. It is short for that ho (“whore”) over there.

Thot is believed to have emerged from the Chicago rap scene in late 2011. Videographer Duan Gaines claims he heard someone use thot while he was shooting the music video for rapper Chief Keef’s song, “Aimed at You.” The word caught on with the crew and was included in the song’s lyrics: “But them bullets hit you hot / show no love for a thot.” Gaines began using it in tweets in 2012.

@KaylynROCK_ lmao now u know I need a thot or two

— ODDBALL🦂 (@DGainz) January 13, 2012

Following this, Chicago rappers Katie Got Bandz, Fredo Santana, and Chance the Rapper also released songs in 2012 that included thot in the lyrics. They, along with Chief Keef, would continue to use and popularize the word in songs in the following years.

In 2014, thot was used by other rappers, like Juicy J and Fetty Wap, and by 2015 thot was widespread in hip-hop culture and the popular culture it influences.

Another form of thot, punning on hottie, is thottie (or thotty). Thot is used to demean women as cheap and easy, or just to put them down more generally.

In the mid-2010s, a meme, Begone Thot, arose in response to what young male internet users saw as an excess of thots on Instagram and Twitch streams.

As thot spread into mainstream slang, it has come to refer to all genders, too, and has softened to refer, positively, to a sexy, confident person in general—like a hottie.

wjsn thot line pic.twitter.com/5lVPxmHrzc

— ACAB (@EUNSANATION) May 18, 2020

Thot has inspired plenty of wordplay, punning on thought or hot (e.g., thot police or thot sauce).

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.