We all know, even if only by sight, a few swoll people. We see them at the gym, on the street, in local bars, at the grocery store, at malls, and parks—so what does swoll mean? As always, let's first turn to Urban Dictionary for some insight. Here's a handful of the definitions for "swoll" available on that indispensible font of sometimes questionable knowledge:
- "Very muscular; jacked; ripped."
- "Term used to describe someone with considerable and evident musculature. Not to be confused with cut, meaning someone is very defined but not necessarily swoll."
- "Extremely jacked and buff. Having a lot of muscle. Having an amazing body. Great at wrestling because of the definition of muscle owned. Biceps big as a head. Abs like a rock."
At its core, to be swoll means to be strong, but when you look at the nuanced definition of the word, you'll see that not every strong person can be swoll. A swoll person will often have rippling body muscles in places you didn't even think muscles were possible, incredibly jacked arms, and calves the size (and shape) of several baseballs. Swoll people, therefore, must spend inordinate amounts of time at the gym, religiously consume protein shakes post-workout, focus on staying lean and ripply, and, of course, wear muscle tees at all times to let the world know how swoll they are. It's kind of overwhelming to watch a swoll person do their thing, whether it's at the gym or just trying to navigate the real world, which is full of non-swoll mortals.
The word, which originally appeared in a Tupac song called "When I Get Free" ( the rapper talks about his life in prison, saying he "did push ups till I swole up") is supposed to represent strength, largeness, and beefiness. That being said, though, it's my belief that things other than people can be swoll, too — like these five things. Because who doesn't want a swoll wallet?
1. Your Bank Account
I mean, mine isn't, but in theory it could be. Sometimes when I have more than $3.75 in my savings account, though, I feel like it's pretty swoll.
2. Your Refrigerator
If you're the kind of person who has a healthy stock of beers, fruits, juices, cheeses, and other goodies in your fridge at all times, you definitely have a swoll refrigerator.
3. Your House Party
If you have a Project X/Mean Girls-eque party with lots of booze and guests, loud music, and a little bit of destruction, your house party is definitely swoll. Extra points if some of your guests are the school's token swoll kids.
4. Your Report Card
If your end-of-semester report is full of shiny As or Bs along with wildly positive comments from your professors, it's pretty safe to say you just got a swoll report card.
5. Your Mind
Everyone is always trying to pick between brain and brawn, but your mind can be just as swoll as your muscles. No, you don't have to be Jimmy Neutron to have a swoll brain; you just need to be someone committed to strengthening your learning and cognition in addition to your ability to lift.
Images: RightIndex/Flickr; Giphy (6)
