merde
What does “merde” mean in English?
This means 'shit' and can express frustration, surprise, or describe something of poor quality. It literally translates to 'excrement.'
Literally “excrement”
It's similar to how English speakers use 'shit' for frustration or to describe something bad. It can be used in various contexts, including wishing someone luck, so not every use is an insult.
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Related French words
merdique
3/5 · VulgarIt means very bad or of poor quality, often used to describe something disappointing. The literal translation is 'shitty.'
démerder
3/5 · VulgarIt means to sort something out or manage a situation, often used reflexively. Literally, it translates to 'get out of shit.'
emmerdant
3/5 · VulgarIt means annoying, troublesome, or boring. It's derived from a term that literally relates to shitting, which adds a bit of edge.
emmerder
3/5 · VulgarIt means to annoy or bother someone, causing them trouble. While it can imply a more vulgar context, it doesn't always relate to excrement directly.
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About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via LDNOOBW, 4troDev/profanity.csv (CC-BY-4.0, MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.