Deciphering TikTok Slang: What Does Opp Mean?

If you were in your “partying” days (or simply a hip-hop fan) back in the early 90s, get your mind out of the gutter. “Opp” on TikTok isn’t a callback to the 1991 Naughty By Nature song O.P.P.

(Sorry, we’re not going to explain O.P.P.’s risque meaning in the song. You’re on your own for that one, although we will tell you that the last “P” is the naughty word.)

The origin of the term “opp,” as used on TikTok and other social media platforms, is easy to understand and usually safe for work.

What is an “Opp” on TikTok?

“Opp” is shorthand on social apps for “opponent” or “opposition.”

Like “O.P.P.”, it also has its origins in hip-hop and rap. LL Cool J used the word in music as far back as 1985, and the term was regularly heard in songs by Chicago rappers in the early 2010s. Drake, Chief Keef, and Lil JoJo are among the many artists whose songs include “opp” or “opps,” and their music is often used as TikTok sounds.

The term “opp” can be used in several different contexts.

• An “opp” is often a rival. For instance, a user could claim that their entry in a TikTok challenge is “better than the opps,” or an athlete could say that she “beat my opp.”
• The term can be used in a less-friendly or even aggressive way, whether it describes a romantic rival or the “opp” on the streets (in its original hip-hop usage, it was often used to describe other gangs or the police).
• If someone feels that they’ve been betrayed, they might say that their ex-friend is now an “opp.”
• When someone is on the opposite side of a political or social argument, they may be described as an “opp” or being “with the opps.”

The term “opp” can be used on TikTok with both funny and very serious meanings. One TikTok user might be describing someone as an enemy who deserves retribution, another might be poking fun at or derogating a political opponent, while a third could be joking that their cat has become an “opp” after roughhouse play left the user with scratches.

Bottom line: be careful when using the term “opp” on TikTok or other apps. It could very easily be taken the wrong way.