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
To run away or get out before trouble.
“The cats split when the heat showed up.”
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2
To leave or depart, especially quickly or abruptly.
“This scene's dead — let's split.”
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3
To set off on a journey or to another place.
“We're gonna split for the Coast this weekend.”
by community
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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.
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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