What Does “67” Mean? Dictionary.com’s 2025 Word of the Year Has No Definition
Dictionary.com has officially named a string of numbers “67” pronounced “six seven” as the Word of the Year 2025. The platform says it awards the title to a word or expression that captures the social trends and global events that defined the year and reflects how culture and language evolve over time.
Last year’s pick was “durée.”
This year the honor goes to a term that has confused adults annoyed teachers and delighted Gen Alpha: “67.”
Where Did “67” Come From?
The slang originated from the song “Doot Doot 6 7”, released last December by Philadelphia rapper Skrilla. In the track 6 7 is used as a verb a vague hip hop expression that can describe anything from crashing a car to casually driving around.
But it was the number itself that took off.
The trend exploded on TikTok through viral basketball highlight edits especially videos featuring Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball who is 1.88 meters tall.
Soon after big names like LeBron James and Paige Bueckers started using the term in interviews. It eventually spread to other sports and then to schools across the US where Gen Alpha turned it into a universal punchline.
Kids typically say 67 with a slow drawl and a hand gesture raising one palm for each number as if weighing two objects.
“There’s no situation where a kid won’t say 67” joked high school teacher and comedian Philip Lindsay who helped bring attention to the trend online.
A Viral Trend With Staying Power
Dictionary.com says searches for 67 increased more than sixfold since June and continue rising.
The number has inspired
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music remixes
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a recent South Park reference
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popular and sometimes weird Halloween costumes
According to Dictionary.com 67 shows how fast a new term can spread globally once a rising generation joins the conversation.
Lindsay agrees calling it “definitely the Word of the Year 2025.” He notes that while memes usually fade 67 has held strong for nearly a full year although its official recognition may speed up its decline.
Even so he believes it will continue to live on because numbers are everywhere and easy for kids to turn into jokes.
So What Does “67” Actually Mean?
No one can really say.
Dictionary.com argues that the defining trait of 67 is that it cannot be defined.
“It is meaningless yet omnipresent” the site says, a perfect symbol of life lived permanently online scrolling through endless algorithm driven content.
Even Skrilla who coined the term admitted to XXL magazine that he intentionally left it vague.
He said the phrase originally had a negative meaning but evolved into something neutral or positive depending on who uses it.
“It’s millions of things for millions of people” he said. “Everyone gives it their own meaning.”
LaMelo Ball also couldn’t explain it when asked
“It’s really nothing” he said. “Just six seven.”
The Real Meaning Is the Feeling
According to Dictionary.com the power of 67 lies in the connection it creates among young people. It is essentially a giant inside joke a way for Gen Alpha to identify each other and belong to the same cultural moment.
Parenting expert Becky Kennedy summed it up simply
“67 has no meaning in content but it has meaning in feeling.
And nothing is more powerful to a kid than feeling like they belong.”
That feeling was powerful enough to beat competitors like broligarchy clanker tradwife and tariff earning 67 the title of Word of the Year 2025.
