What does sus mean

What does ‘sus’ mean?

Sus is used as a synonym of suspicious, or suspect, as in “you’ve been acting pretty sus, I think you’re up to something.” It’s a slang word used to say that someone or something shouldn’t be trusted. While many who’ve only recently adopted the word believe it to be new and to have come out of the game “Among Us,” sus is in fact much older than that 2018 game: there is evidence of it in use from as early as the 1920s.

The Origin of Sus

Sus is suddenly everywhere because of its use in the game “Among Us,” a multiplayer internet-based whodunit game in which one player is secretly assigned the role of “imposter,” while everyone else is a crewmate trying to guess the imposter and complete tasks before the imposter offs them all. When you’re assigned “crewmate,” everyone else in the game you’re playing can be considered sus. The game was released in 2018 but jumped in popularity when 2020’s pandemic lockdown was in full swing.

Remember to get your tasks done.

Sus is not, however, at all new. In fact, its close relation suss, a verb used mostly in British English, has been in our dictionaries for decades. This suss, which is typically used with out, means “to figure out,” as in “sussing out whether they’re lying or not,” or “to inspect or investigate so as to gain more knowledge,” as in “sussing out the situation.” That word is based on suspect, and has been in use since at least the 1960s.

But even older than suss out is sus itself: Green’s Dictionary of Slang includes entries for a noun sus (also spelled suss) defined as both “a suspected person” and “a suspicion,” with both uses dating to the 1930s. And Green’s also includes an entry for the adjective use that’s currently popular (with suss again as a variant spelling), and dates it to 1955. Partridge’s Concise Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English dates adjectival use of sus to mean “suspicious” or “suspected” from 1925 and adjectival use of the abbreviated for sus. meaning “suspected” to 1920.

How Sus Is Used

Sus tends to be modified by words that qualify just how suspicious someone or something is. Evidence in published, edited text is currently most common in Australian and British English:

Next, is Jeff Lowe and his wife Lauren, who invested into Joe’s zoo. However, things became a bit sus when there was a dubious fire on the premises and Joe was unable to recover from the financial loss.
— Shannen Findlay, MamaMia (mamamia.com.au), 16 Nov. 2021

Current U.S. use tends to be clearly identified as slang:

Last week, American Airlines took its turn, canceling over 1,600 flights. Weather was dutifully blamed again, along with staffing shortages. But the latter excuse is, as the kids say, pretty sus. Airlines that accepted federal pandemic relief money (and they all did) were barred from laying off workers.
—Amy Roberts, The Park Record (Park City, Utah), 2 Nov. 2021

U.S. use from before the advent of “Among Us” is also findable. From a 2017 slang explainer in Refinery29 called “The Dating Slang Terms You Need To Know” is this:

«Sus» is short-hand for «suspect.» Think of the term as the 2017 version of «shady.» A variety of situations can be sus, like your roommate’s tendency to mysteriously «lose» your clothes whenever they borrow them, even though you totally saw that Zara top she swore she lost on her Instagram story last night. However, it’s most often used in dating scenarios, as dating in general is sus AF.

He told me he’s crashing with friends during his trip to Chicago, but I know that’s where his ex-girlfriend lives, and whenever I casually ask about his ‘friends’ or their plans while he’s in town, he gets totally sus about it.

Kari brought her best friend Marisa, who is also a lesbian, along as a third wheel on our first date, using the excuse that Marisa was having a rough time and needed company. But I got the vibe that Marisa came along to help Kari decide if I was queer enough, and the whole thing was just too sus for me, so I dipped.
— Sophie Saint Thomas, Refinery29, 12 Apr. 2017

Bonus Information

You may in your encounters with users of sus bump into a related phrase: sussy baka. The sussy in this evocative phrase is a synonymous variation of sus, and baka is a Japanese borrowing that means “fool.” Note that our elucidation of a phrase’s meaning is not a recommendation that you put it into use.

Words We’re Watching talks about words we are increasingly seeing in use but that have not yet met our criteria for entry.

What Does “Sus” Mean?

Vann Vicente has been a technology writer for four years, with a focus on explainers geared towards average consumers. He also works as a digital marketer for a regional e-commerce website. He’s invested in internet culture, social media, and how people interact with the web. Read more.

Why is everyone saying “sus” lately, and what does it mean? Here’s a look into the rise of this unique piece of internet slang.

“Sus” and Its Origins

If you’ve been on the internet lately or spent time with a teenager, you might have heard them call something “sus,” which is shorthand for “suspicious” or “suspect.” Something or someone is “sus” if it or they seem dishonest or untrustworthy.

While the prevalent use of “sus” is a relatively recent phenomenon, the term itself, used to describe untrustworthy things, long predates the internet. People have used the idiomatic expression “suss out” to describe obtaining the truth from someone for decades. You’ve likely heard it from popular crime shows on television.

In fact, the first definition of “sus” on the online slang repository Urban Dictionary dates back all the way to 2003. This means that people have been using this term online for a while. So why has it become such a culturally significant word on the internet? It’s because of a viral video game called Among Us.

The Meteoric Rise of Sus

Among Us is a cooperative multiplayer title that became one of the most successful video games of 2020. Similar to classic party games like Werewolf and Mafia, it involves several crew members of a spaceship working together to identify imposters among them and attempting to vote these traitors out. Those playing together often did it over video chat to maximize the experience.

One of the biggest catalysts for the game’s success was many prominent internet personalities, public figures, and celebrities streaming the game on platforms like Youtube and Twitch. It was in these streams that “sus” became viral. Players would often refer to others as “sus” if they seemed likely to be imposters, often making judgments based on facial expressions or inconsistencies with their story.

Playing Among Us as an impostor

Sus became the central catchphrase of Among Us, and as interest in the game grew, so did the use of the word. There was also a meme surrounding sus, where players would make accusations towards each other with no evidence. Soon, the term made it on its way to the video-sharing app TikTok, where Among Us content was also starting to catch on. It has since become one of the most popular slang terms on the internet.

Sus as Slang

Even outside of Among Us, “sus” has taken on a life of its own. People regularly refer to things as “sus” even when they have nothing to do with Among Us or video games. It’s become part of an average internet user’s vocabulary and appears everywhere from tweets to Youtube videos.

If you want to describe something as “sus,” you might say “That’s sus” or “You’re sus.” Many people say “sus” in real life to describe something that’s suspicious, such as a strange-looking piece of meat in the fridge or a spam email promising millions of dollars in gold.

Sus People and Sus Things

What’s considered “sus” can be broadly split into two things: sus people and sus things.

Someone is considered sus if you feel like they’re lying or omitting part of the truth. For example, if they seem restless and nervous while talking to you, then you might say “You’re acting kind of sus.” This is also true if someone might be motivated by hidden intentions. For example, if someone asks “Hey, can I borrow your shovel?” and you’re not sure why they want it, you might say “That’s sus.”

On the other hand, there are also sus things. This can be a literal object, like a fake product that you purchased, or something more abstract, like an offer that seems too good to be true. For example, if the “iPhone” that you bought online seems to be running a 5-year-old version of Android, it might well be described as sus.

How to Use Sus

To use “sus,” substitute it whenever you would say “suspicious” or “suspect.” Unlike internet acronyms that are meaningless if you don’t surf the web, “sus” is general enough that even someone with minimal knowledge of the internet can understand it.

If you want to learn more about internet slang terms, check out our pieces on NP, DW, and IRL. You’ll become an online natural in no time.

Что означает SUS в текстовых сообщениях и социальных сетях?

SUS это аббревиатура интернет-сленга, которая означает «подозрительный». Он часто используется для описания чего-то подозрительного или подозрительного.

SUS — это интернет-сленг, означающий «подозрительный». Может использоваться как аббревиатура или просто сокращение слова, например, «sus».

Что означает SUS в текстовых сообщениях и социальных сетях? SUS — это аббревиатура, означающая «подозрительный». Он часто используется для описания сообщения или поста, которые вызывают подозрения или вызывают подозрения.

SUS можно использовать как предупреждение для других или как способ выразить сомнение в чем-то. В этой статье мы рассмотрим значение SUS и то, как оно используется в текстовых сообщениях и социальных сетях. Мы также обсудим некоторые наиболее распространенные варианты использования SUS и приведем несколько примеров.

«SUS» и его происхождение

Вы, наверное, слышали, как они используют термин «sus», что означает «подозрительный», в обоих случаях. Если это неэтично или ненадежно, это «sus. «Хотя широкое использование «sus» является новым, сам термин, означающий «ненадежный», появился еще до Интернета.

Десятилетиями люди использовали слово «разузнать», чтобы указать на получение правды от кого-то. Вы наверняка видели его в криминальных сериалах.

Слово «сус» давно используется в Интернете. В результате он приобрел культурное значение в Интернете. Именно из-за вирусной видеоигры «Среди нас» SUS приобретает культурное значение в Интернете.

Стремительный взлет SUS

Это довольно стандартная игра, но она выйдет в 2020 году. Как и в традиционных играх для вечеринок, таких как Werewolf и Mafia, экипаж космического корабля голосует за предателей.

Те, кто играл вместе, использовали видеочат, чтобы максимизировать опыт. Популярность игры связана с тем, что известные люди, общественные деятели и знаменитости транслируют ее на таких сайтах, как Youtube и Твич.

«Сус» стал вирусным. Игроки называли самозванцев «сус», если они казались фальшивыми. Со временем эта фраза стала девизом игры.

Игроки также бездоказательно обвиняли друг друга. Название быстро распространилось на TikTok, где был популярен контент среди нас. Интернет жаргонная фраза на данный момент.

SUS как сленг

«SUS» живет своей собственной жизнью за пределами «Среди нас». Даже объекты, не связанные с «Среди нас» или видеоиграми, называются «сус». Теперь это обычное дело в Интернете, от твитов до видео на YouTube.

«Это глупо.» «Ты глупый.» Кое-что описывается как «сус». В реальной жизни слово «sus» может использоваться для обозначения чего-либо подозрительного, например, странного вида куска мяса или фальшивого электронного письма, обещающего миллионы в золоте.

SUS Люди и SUS Вещи

Лица SUS — это лица, которые были обвинены или осуждены за ложь или сокрытие информации. Человек подозревается, если вы считаете, что он скрывает правду. В этом примере вы можете ответить: «Вы, кажется, немного недовольны».

Это также верно, если у кого-то есть скрытые мотивы. Если кто-то спросит: «Можно я одолжу твою лопату?» а ты нет. Однако есть сомнительные вещи. Это может быть физический предмет, например, купленный вами мошеннический продукт, или что-то более абстрактное, например невероятное предложение.

Покупка «iPhone» в Интернете, который работает под управлением 5-летней версии Android, является хорошей иллюстрацией скептицизма.

Как использовать СУС

Используйте «sus» вместо «подозрительно» или «подозреваю». В отличие от интернет-аббревиатур, которые не имеют смысла, если вы не занимаетесь серфингом, слово «sus» достаточно широкое, чтобы его мог понять любой.

В обоих случаях ясно, что говорящий думает, что что-то происходит — он просто не может этого понять. И это то, что «sus» все о.

Заключение

SUS — это аббревиатура, означающая «подозрительный». Он обычно используется в текстовых сообщениях и социальных сетях как способ предупредить других о том, что что-то может быть не так.

SUS часто используется как предупреждение другим, что они должны быть осторожными или осторожными в любой ситуации, в которой они находятся. SUS также может использоваться для описания кого-то, кто ведет себя подозрительно.

Если вы видите кого-то SUS в текстовом сообщении или в социальных сетях, важно знать о потенциальной опасности, которую они могут представлять.

What Does Sus Mean In ‘Among Us’? The Slang Meaning & How To Use It

By Alice Kelly — Written on Mar 12, 2021

Social media is awash with countless slang words and acronyms that change and develop quicker than most of us can keep up with. And these words aren’t just used in comments sections on social media — in fact, it has become a staple in the online multiplayer game, Among Us, as well as on TikTok.

But with words like sus seeping into our real-life vocabulary, it’s important to know exactly what they mean in order to communicate with others.

What does sus mean?

Sus is derived from two words: suspect and suspicious. Depending on the context, the word sus can mean either of those two words interchangeably or just mean both of them at the same time.

Used in texting and everyday speech, sus can be either a noun or an adjective. This means it can both describe a person or situation, or be used to refer directly to that person. For example: “She’s sus” or “He’s acting sus.”

A «sus» person is someone who appears «off» in some way, has questionable intentions, or lacks integrity.

It can also be used to describe a suspicious scenario without directly accusing anyone: “That’s sus.” It denotes untrustworthiness or doubt and is used by skeptics in a wide variety of contexts.

While you might see it as a response to a wide range of scenarios, the people using it are really only saying one thing: “I think you’re 100 percent guilty of something, but I don’t have actual evidence so I can’t outright accuse you.”

Is sus a bad word? While no one wants to be labeled «sus,» the term itself isn’t considered profanity. So go ahead and use it next time something fishy happens.

If you’re the one being accused of acting sus, consider following the approach of Mona-Lisa and Jean-Ralphio from «Parks and Recreation.» Subtlety is king here:

Where did sus come from?

Like all good internet slang, sus seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and overnight everyone was saying it without actually knowing why.

It may be new to a lot of us, but it was actually first defined on Urban Dictionary in 2003. It has also been used in a slightly different way overseas for almost a century!

Historically, it was used in Great Britain to refer to a stop and search law nicknamed «sus law,» which allowed arrests on the basis of mere suspicion. In the 1930s, people in England and Wales began using the phrase «suss out» to describe the act of discovering evidence or secrets.

While it is no longer a part of British police jargon, the verb «suss» with two S’s is still used in the U.K. today.

But «sus» as we know it wasn’t imported by English tourists. Like most American slang, it was popularized by Black communities.

Unlike some of the more confusing recent slang words (seriously, what is a Heather?), it has a straightforward definition.

Given that sus is taken from an actual word in the dictionary, it’s easy to interpret its meaning when used in an appropriate context. This probably contributed to its popularity.

But really, we can thank TikTok for the word sus. Considering most of us spent 2020 indoors either baking banana bread or scrolling through TikTok, it’s no wonder the video-sharing app is responsible for most trends.

What does sus mean on TikTok?

Sus seems to appear a lot on the app when users are skeptical of a viral “storytime” video, or are questioning the behavior of some of their favorite creators.

The word has also appeared in many of the popular sounds that TikTokers love to lipsync along with. The viral song “Hatchback” by rapper Cochise also had a role to play in making sus one of the most used words on the app.

As the lyrics go: “Who he with? / Not with us, us, us / That boy, uh, that boy, uh / That boy sus,” describing a questionable character, Cochise goes on to say, “I don’t trust.” When the song became a popular dance track for TikTokers, the word sus was cemented even further into our vocabulary.

What does sus mean in Among Us?

More recently, players of the game Among Us have no doubt seen the word sus or used it themselves.

The game, which was first released in 2018, has hit a second wave of popularity over the last year. In this online multiplayer game, players are working together in a space-themed setting.

In any round of the game, users are assigned roles as either Crewmates or Imposters. Imposters seek to kill of Crewmates without being caught, while the remaining Crewmates must determine who the Imposter is.

And how do Crewmates guess the Imposter? By looking for — you guessed it — anything or anyone that could be seen as «sus.»

The Crewmates are assigned tasks and must try to complete these while avoiding being killed by the Imposter. The Imposter must fake tasks, sabotage the space ship and sneak up on unsuspecting Crewmates.

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Sus behavior in the game might include not doing any tasks, following other players around, or running away from bodies instead of reporting them to the group.

The game moves quickly and Crewmates have limited time to consult with one another via the in-game chat. Who has time to type an entire word when under pressure?

Sus has also become a much more efficient way to accuse other players of being the Imposter. Players are assigned a color to make it easier to declare who is «acting sus.» The players then vote on their suspects, hoping to eject the Imposter from the game.

How to Use Sus in Text Messages

So, you’ve figured out what the word means and you know why everyone is saying it. What else is there?

Well, before you go storming through TikTok comment sections or make outlandish accusations during a game of Among Us, you might want to know how to use the term correctly. Somehow, grammatical rules still apply to made-up internet words.

Here are potential ways sus can be used as an adjective or might appear as a noun:

Using sus to describe someone untrustworthy

Person 1: “Let’s ask that guy for a ride home.”

Person 2: “Nah, he looks sus.”

Using sus to describe suspicious behavior or lying

Person 2: “He’s acting sus.”

Using sus to refer to someone sketchy or unlikeable

Person 1: “How come you’re not inviting Sara to the party?”

Person 2: “I don’t want her there. She’s sus.”

Using sus to refer to something unsettling

Person 1: “When I came home last night my door was already unlocked.”

Person 2: “That’s mad sus. Maybe you should check your cameras.”

What does ‘sus’ mean in the sentence «People who joined Facebook after 2017 are sus.»?

People who joined Facebook after 2017 are sus.

What does this word «sus» mean in this sentence?

3 Answers 3

This is a slang term used primarily by members of «Generation Z» (currently aged 10–25) to mean «suspicious» but also «dubious», «strange», «creepy», or «socially unacceptable» (in the sense that a «creepy person» is socially unacceptable).

In this sentence, it is saying that anyone who joined Facebook in the year 2017 or afterwards is creepy or socially unacceptable.

As CharybdeBE noted above, it’s a slang term which has become popular thanks to the Among Us game, a multiplayer game where one or more of the characters are secretly evil aliens trying to kill all the other players. A large part of the gameplay involves accusing other players of being an alien, which is often done by calling them «sus».

This is a pretty good explanation:

Whether it’s directly descended from the older term «suss», or if it naturally evolved independently is a good question! Personally, I’d guess it evolved independently, but I’ve not attempted to do any research into it, so that guess may well be. sus.

Still, I wouldn’t be too surprised to find there’s a student thesis or academic paper floating around which attempts to answer that question, though!

Sus (sometimes spelled «suss«) is old, old slang, with two related main meanings.

Usual/main meaning

The meaning that applies here is sus = suspicious/suspicion.

(It can mean «suspect» but only as an adjective meaning suspicious/dubious such as «that document is suspect, it could be a forgery», never as a noun «John is a suspect in a robbery»)

The same word and meaning, was also used to refer to an object or action, as being suspicious, suspect, dodgy, or otherwise not to be taken at face value or given good faith. So whether a person joining a protest was a genuine protester or an infiltrator, whether something was an accident or deliberate, whether something happened in good or bad faith, whether the gift is really a gift or an enticing trap/trick. «It’s (or They’re) suss» or «It’s (They’re) a bit suss» (meaning «suspicious/suspect») covered all these shades.

(It can also be used less seriously, I’ll cover that below)

Related meaning

The other, related meaning, is most often seen in the phrases «sus(s) out» or «sussed/sussing out» or «sussed/sussing it«. Meaning roughly, to have figured out or solved a conundrum, puzzling thing, problem, or anything else.

The connection to the first meaning is that the adjective something is sus(s) becomes used as a verb «to suss«, or to «suss out«.

Once someone or something is «sus«, the logical next step is trying to figure out whether it/they are in fact the dodgy and bad faith things that they are suspected to be. The process of working that out naturally in slang terms becomes «sussing out» or «sussing it out» and having an answer becomes «sussed (it) out«.

Note that while «sus/suss» always implies suspicious/suspicion, the related verb «to suss out/sussing out» does not automatically imply suspicion. As often happens, the slang «drifts» in meaning. The verb can simply mean to solve or figure out, a thing.

Examples

OP: I got a text telling me about my tax refund, but I don’t pay any tax

A: Sounds sus to me, mate

B: Yeah, definitely sus. Go check with your employer’s HR team see if its legit? [=legitimate, valid]

OP: Okay, sussed it out, its a scam, my friend got the same text last week and the website’s a fake.

B: Great, I’ll tell Joe not to bother checking the phone number if you’ve sussed it already.

And some examples as a verb,where it simply means «to work out or solve a thing»:

I just sussed out (worked out/solved) that crossword clue!

My dad finally sussed (worked out) that I’m an adult and can do things like visiting friends without asking permission!

(The implication being, he had to think about it to realise the speaker is an adult and therefore can do these things. )

It can also be occasionally used less seriously.

For example in humour:

«People who drive Honda cars are definitely suss»
(meaning roughly, in humour, the speaker is suggesting there’s something wrong or dubious about the kind of person whom would choose to drive a Honda car)

OP: «I ordered chicken and pineapple on my pizza.»
Friend: «Pineapple? Sounds sus to me, mate!»
(in humour, joking at their friend’s choice of topping)

So your tweet could also be making a joke, that people who joined Facebook recently are probably suspicious, but may not be serious about it. We can’t tell which it is, serious or joking, without more context and perhaps even then its not totally certain.