mod

1 of 6

adjective

ˈmäd 

1

: of, relating to, or being the characteristic style of 1960s British youth culture

2

: hip, trendy

mod

2 of 6

noun (1)

plural mods

informal

: a modification made to something usually by its owner or user in order to change its appearance or function

a car mod

body mods

specifically : a modification made to a software application (such as a video game) by a user in order to change the way the application looks or functions

The result is a pair of mods … that replace the game's usual science-based victory condition (achieved by launching a spaceship to Earth's nearest star, Alpha Centauri) with one dedicated to building superintelligent AI.

—David Kushner

mod

3 of 6

verb

modded; modding; mods

transitive verb

informal

: to modify (something) from its original state in order to change its appearance or function

It is believed the 16-year-old boy, a learner driver, modded the vehicle himself by adding sirens and flashing lights.

—Stefan Kostarelis

especially : to modify (a software application, such as a video game)

The developer believed the cheaters were ruining the experience for everyone else by modding the game to allow them to pull off moves they shouldn't be able to …

—Nick Santangelo

modder

ˈmä-dər 

noun

plural modders

Modders have been around at least since the original version of the popular shoot-'em-up Doom, which encouraged users to tweak the program.

—Hiawatha Bray

mod

4 of 6

noun (2)

plural mods

informal

: the moderator of an online forum, chat room, or group

Reddit mods responded to the glitch promptly, eliminating the issue almost instantly.

—theNextWeb.com

mod

5 of 6

noun (3)

plural mods

: one who wears mod clothes

mod

6 of 6

abbreviation

1

moderate

2

modification; modified

3

modulo; modulus

Synonyms

Adjective

• contemporary
• current
• designer
• hot
• modern
• modernistic
• new
• new age
• new-fashioned
• newfangled
• present-day
• red-hot
• space-age
• state-of-the-art
• ultramodern
• up-to-date
• up-to-the-minute

Examples of mod in a Sentence

Adjective

the young artist's converted loft is decorated in a self-consciously mod style

a chichi boutique for mod dressers with deep pockets

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

This liner is very mod, with a sharp wing right at the lash line and another eyeliner line right at the crease that both angle upwards towards her temple. —Gabi Thorne, Allure, 13 Aug. 2021

The collection allows buyers to join Saweetie’s cool girl aesthetic which is heavily influenced by the ’90s with a mod 2020 twist. —Nandi Howard, Essence, 1 June 2020

Verb

Ripperdocs that can mod you up with cybernetic parts for greater body diversity. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2021

Some of The Sims’ popularity is also likely due to players’ ability to mod their games to add more varied items, actions, and depth to an already deep game—a feature that has been available to some degree since the original version launched in 2000. —Saira Mueller, Wired, 4 Feb. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

short for modern

Noun (2)

short for moderator

Noun (3)

probably from mod entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

1964, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1943, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1956, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

2003, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1960, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing mod

• mod con

Kids Definition

mod

1 of 2 adjective

ˈmäd

: modern

mod

2 of 2 noun

informal

: a modification made to something by its owner or user to change its appearance or function

especially : a modification made to a software application (as a video game) by a user in order to change the way the application looks or functions