Slay in slang means to impress or to do something brilliantly — to perform or look so good that everyone is amazed. People use it to praise a performance, an outfit or a result, in conversation and on social media: You slayed it! In neutral speech and IELTS Speaking, say did brilliantly, and in formal writing, performed very well or impressed everyone.
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slay + noun; outfit/look + slays; slayed (past); slay! (reaction)
- You slayed that presentation, the manager couldn't stop smiling.
- Her outfit for the party absolutely slayed, everyone noticed.
- He slayed the final exam after weeks of revision.
What changed
First versionShe slew her presentation yesterday, everyone was impressed.
RevisionShe slayed her presentation yesterday, everyone was impressed.
The ordinary verb slay (to kill) has the irregular past tense slew, but in the slang sense of impressing someone, slay follows the regular pattern: slayed. Slew is wrong here because it only belongs to the literal meaning.
Slay is about a standout success that everyone noticed. An ordinary good job isn't praised this way — did well is enough for that: You did well on the test is simple praise for a good result, while You slayed that test! is full-on enthusiasm, meaning you did brilliantly.
Your turn
Her costume for Halloween completely ___, everyone was taking photos.
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slayed — This is the slang meaning of impressing someone, which takes the regular past tense slayed. Slew belongs only to the literal meaning of killed.
Describe a time when someone (you or someone you know) did brilliantly at something and impressed people — for example, at a job interview, in an exam or during a performance.
My sister slayed her job interview and got an offer the same day.
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