Craic is Irish English for fun, banter, good times. "How's the craic?" = how are things? Not concerning, just Irish vocabulary. Pronounced "crack." If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in. Most slang of this kind moves through TikTok and group chats, so seeing it in your child's vocabulary just means they are plugged into normal teen internet culture.
craic
Irish: fun, entertainment, good vibes.
/kraɪk/Documented since 1970s1970sGen XhistoricalCurrent205 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~1970 · 1 year of recorded useBoomer / counterculture eraSee decade cohort →
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
nahhhhh mono green cube (any mono cube really) sounds actually dope - trying to make as many different archetypes work as possible in that environment is great craic
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
2) selo craic= selo village, law rak(cancer)ai, moon, Greece, grek, is business , village can be sued with Greece , krica(rats and krisa) demo-crats can be sued !
View source
Wikipedia: Craic
Craic ( KRAK) or crack is a term for news, gossip, fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland.
View source
Wikipedia: The Craic
The Craic (stylised as The Craíc; pronounced ) is a 1999 Australian comedy film starring stand-up comedian Jimeoin with Alan McKee, directed by Ted Emery.
View source
Wikipedia: Craic
It is often used with the definite article – the craic – as in the expression "What's the craic?
View source
Definitions
UK
+534100%
#1·Apr 24, 2026UK
Irish: fun, entertainment, good vibes. "What's the craic?" = "what's going on?" "Great craic" = a brilliant night. Irish travelers insist this word does not translate and the English monosyllable "fun" is inadequate. They are correct on both counts.
"Pub last night was great craic."
Origin: Gaelic spelling of "crack"; adopted from Scots English in the 1970s.
For parents
Craic is Irish English for fun, banter, good times. "How's the craic?" = how are things? Not concerning, just Irish vocabulary. Pronounced "crack." If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in. Most slang of this kind moves through TikTok and group chats, so seeing it in your child's vocabulary just means they are plugged into normal teen internet culture.
For ESL learners
Craic is an Irish English noun meaning fun, lively conversation, and good times. Pronounced "crack." Use in Irish and Irish diaspora contexts. Formal equivalents: "fun," "banter," "good company." Common non-native mistake: spelling as "crack" (which exists as English slang for cocaine). The Irish spelling "craic" disambiguates and is part of cultural identity. Read or listen to the word in context several times before trying it yourself; the right register is harder to learn than the dictionary meaning.
Heard in the wild
“nahhhhh mono green cube (any mono cube really) sounds actually dope - trying to make as many different archetypes work as possible in that environment is great craic”
— Bluesky· May 2026“2) selo craic= selo village, law rak(cancer)ai, moon, Greece, grek, is business , village can be sued with Greece , krica(rats and krisa) demo-crats can be sued !”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Craic ( KRAK) or crack is a term for news, gossip, fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland.”
“The Craic (stylised as The Craíc; pronounced ) is a 1999 Australian comedy film starring stand-up comedian Jimeoin with Alan McKee, directed by Ted Emery.”
“It is often used with the definite article – the craic – as in the expression "What's the craic?”
Was this helpful?
Comments
Show 1 more dictionary-style sense (imported)
Global
#2·May 2, 2026Global
Often preceded by the: amusement, fun, especially through enjoyable company; also, pleasant conversation.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Was this helpful?
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
GlobalUK
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "craic".
🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "craic" (C)
crack wrapcracky wagonCradlecradle-snatchcradle snatchercraftmastercraic arccraic checkcraic codedcraic energycraicercraic fail
Browse all slang words starting with C.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- 86%
Classic Irish greeting that goes way beyond a simple 'what's up' — 'what's the craic' asks about the vibe, the gossip, the fun, and what's going on all at once. 'Craic' (pronounced 'crack') is an Irish and Northern Irish concept covering good times, banter, and the general buzz of social life. The phrase is used constantly in Ireland and Northern Ireland as a casual opener, and has spread internationally through the Irish diaspora and general pop-culture love of Irish slang.
- 84%
(Ireland) What's happening?.
- 79%
Used to describe a person, place, or situation that radiates craic at a fundamental level — it's not just fun, it's fun in a specifically Irish way. Craic-coded means the energy is loud, warm, chaotic in the best sense, and probably involves someone's uncle telling a story nobody asked for but everyone needed. A craic-coded venue has sticky floors, a jukebox, and no closing time enforcement. A craic-coded person makes you feel like you've known them for years within ten minutes.
- 73%
(Irish, Northern England) Something or someone that spoils an otherwise enjoyable event.