Larp (verb / noun / slang)
(Variations: LARP, Larping, Larper)
Definition:
-
To play-act or pretend you’re living a lifestyle you’re clearly not part of.
-
Short for Live Action Role Play (dressing up in cloaks and hitting people with foam swords in the woods).
Pronunciation: /lɑːp/
Where It Comes From: It kicked off in the late 70s as a pure tabletop gaming acronym: Live Action Role Play. Fans of fantasy novels and Dungeons & Dragons would throw on home-made chainmail, and cast pretend spells at each other over the weekend.
Around the mid-2010s, anonymous message boards like 4chan and Reddit turned the term into a weapon. Whenever someone showed up pretending to be an ex-special forces soldier, a millionaire day-trader, or a political extremist, people called them out for “larping.” From there, it bled onto TikTok, Twitter, and UK schoolyards as standard slang for posers living out a fantasy.
How People Actually Use It: It’s the ultimate shut-down for someone putting on a fake persona.
You mostly see it aimed at people trying desperately hard to adopt a subculture they just discovered last week. If a posh kid from the home counties puts on a heavy puffa jacket, starts putting on a fake road accent, and posts videos trying to look menacing, the comments will immediately tell him to stop larping as a gang member. It works just as well for someone who buys £500 worth of specialist hiking gear just to walk a golden retriever around a flat park.
Examples in the Wild:
-
“He lives in a detached house in Surrey, why on earth is he on TikTok larping like he’s from the ends?”
Translation: “He comes from a wealthy, sheltered background, so why is he pretending to be from a rough neighbourhood?”
-
“Mate, you’ve worked in this pub for two shifts, stop larping as the general manager.”
Translation: “You only just started working here, so stop acting like you run the entire establishment.”
-
“Half the people giving financial advice on Twitter are just larping as hedge fund bosses.”
Translation: “Most online financial influencers are faking their professional credentials.”
Similar Slang: Fronting, Poser, Wannabe, Capper, Faker, Clout chaser
Contribute To This Page