Chill
To relax; relaxed and easygoing.
- Origin: US slang for relaxed; Green’s cites college slang from 1983
- On the Slang-o-matic wheel: Gen X (born 1965–1980). That is who the translator files it under, not a claim that this generation coined it.
What it means
To chill is to relax, often by doing very little. Cambridge Dictionary gives this sense as “to relax by doing very little,” as in “I’m just chilling out in front of the TV.” It can also mean “to remain or become calm,” as in “Everybody chill!”
As an adjective, chill means relaxed and easygoing. Cambridge’s example is “We’re a lot more chill about this than our parents were.”
Where it comes from
Green’s Dictionary of Slang marks the relaxed sense as originally Black American slang and lists citations from American college slang collected by the linguist Connie Eble: in 1983, chill meant “relaxed, in control.”
Its cousin take a chill pill, meaning calm down, appears in Eble’s campus slang lists from 1982, and Green’s quotes a 1989 college slang book: “This class is not as difficult as you think, Glenn, so take a chill pill.”
Who says it now
The translator files chill under Gen X, many of whom were in high school or college in the 1980s when these citations were collected. In our observation it is no longer tied to any age group and is part of ordinary casual English.
Tone
Relaxed and friendly in most uses. “Chill out” said to an upset person can feel dismissive, as if their feelings do not matter, so tone counts. “Take a chill pill” now sounds jokey and a bit dated.
What adults hear, what kids mean
Older listeners may hear chill as cold, as in a chill in the air. A kid asking to “chill at Jordan’s” most likely means hanging out with no special plan. “My teacher is chill” probably means the teacher seems relaxed and easygoing.
How to use it
As a verb: chill, chill out, chill at home, chill with friends. As an adjective: a chill evening, a chill boss. “Chill!” on its own means calm down.
Two examples, written by us:
- We are just going to chill at home and order pizza.
- The new coach is pretty chill, but he still makes us run laps.
How to answer it
If someone invites you to chill, it is an invitation to hang out: “Sure, when?” If someone tells you to chill out during an argument, it may help to say what you need instead of arguing about the phrase.
Same idea, other generations
The Slang-o-matic wheel files Chill under Gen X for the idea of hanging out and having fun. These are the words it files under the same idea, by generation. They are related, not always exact translations:
Related slang
- Kick it (Gen X): To relax and hang out, usually with friends.
- Dig (Boomers): To like, enjoy or understand.
- Vibe (Millennials): A mood or feeling; to vibe is to relax and enjoy yourself.
Try the slang translatorAll slang by generation
Sources
Meanings and dates on this page come from these dictionaries. Each quote is copied word for word from the linked page.
- Cambridge Dictionary
“to relax by doing very little”
“I'm just chilling out in front of the TV.”
“to remain or become calm and not allow something to make you upset or angry”
“We're a lot more chill about this than our parents were.”
- Green's Dictionary of Slang
“(orig. US black) calm, untroubled, relaxed.”
“1983 Eble Campus Sl. Mar. 2: chill – relaxed, in control”
“1982 Eble Campus Sl. Spring 8: take a chill pill”
“1989 P. Munro Sl. U. 186: This class is not as difficult as you think, Glenn, so take a chill pill.”