The Slang Word "Gurt" Originated on TikTok, but What Does It Mean Exactly?

Another day, another brain rot word from TikTok that you can add to the running list. Well, it appears to be that way anyway, when it comes to "gurt," which is making the rounds on social media. But what does gurt mean in slang on TikTok? Plenty of other seemingly nonsensical words originated on social media in some way, and gurt seems to be one of them.

Unlike some other words, like "gyatt" and phrases like "skibbidi Ohio rizz," there might be a clear origin to the word gurt. While some claim on social media that it has something to do with a shortened version of yogurt, the actual meaning behind it is clear in what appears to be its first ever TikTok. Though it looks like not everyone was eager to make gurt happen.

In early April 2025, a TikTok user by the name of JDawg157 shared a video where they appeared to first introduce gurt as a slang word. In the video, the user wrote on the screen that they had a "new underground slang word" for other users to start to make more popular. They wrote that gurt or gurting means "when you do something that's smart but also very dangerous."

In the caption, they wrote, "Want to go gurting." However, the comments under the video seemed less than thrilled to make gurt happen.

One user commented, "Who do you think you are bro" with a crying face emoji.

Another wrote, "ikiab ts IS NOT leaving the comment section."

Elsewhere on the internet, users claim that gurt means "yo," as in yo-gurt. According to this definition, if someone says "gurt" as a greeting, it's the same as saying "yo" as a greeting. But the jury is definitely still out on this definition of gurt, or the other one, catching on beyond the internet.

While there seem to be at least two possible meanings for gurt on TikTok and beyond, there is no denying the power of Gen Z kids spreading new words and phrases far and wide. Some of the more common brain rot words include "gyatt," which is slang for a big behind or just used as a placeholder word for exclamations of excitement, and 'cooked,' which means doing poorly at something.

Then, of course, there is the trifecta — skibbidi Ohio rizz. This is in reference to the YouTube series Skibbidi Toilet, Ohio being a place thought by kids to be weird, and rizz in reference to charisma. Put all of that together and you get one of the more common Gen Z brain rot phrases that no kid would ever want to hear an adult repeat.

Maybe that's why some of the TikTok comments about gurt don't want it to catch on too quickly. Or, some younger users are just as tired of the new words and phrases as the rest of us.