verb General Slang

Split

/splɪt/ · verb · slang

To leave or take off — to clear out of a place, fast or casual.

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Definitions

1

The way a training program divides workouts among muscle groups or movement patterns across the week.

“What split are you running these days?”
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2

To run away or get out before trouble.

“The cats split when the heat showed up.”
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3

To leave or depart, especially quickly or abruptly.

“This scene's dead — let's split.”
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4

To set off on a journey or to another place.

“We're gonna split for the Coast this weekend.”
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Split In A Sentence

Let's split before the square crowd rolls in.
She split halfway through the reading.
Time to split, daddy-o — the night's young somewhere else.

Origin & Usage

From 1940s jazz and Black American slang meaning to leave. The Beat Generation, defined by restless movement and the road, made 'split' one of its most-used verbs in the 1950s.

Variants split the scenecut out
Tags #beatnik#1950s#beat-generation#vintage#movement

People Also Ask

What does split mean in beatnik slang?

It means to leave or take off — to clear out of a place. 'Let's split' meant let's get out of here.

Where did split come from?

From 1940s jazz and Black American slang for leaving. Beatniks, obsessed with movement and the road, made it a core verb in the '50s.

Is split still used today?

Yes — 'let's split' survives in casual English, keeping its beat-era meaning of leaving a place.

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