--- description: A word that originated from Eminem's song about obsessive fan "Stan" is now officially recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary. title: 'Stan' Is Now in the Oxford English Dictionary image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64ce39be601a94b4/6988cfcfa988ca81d06bc7db/eminem-8-mile.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'Stan' Is Now an Officially Recognized Word in the Oxford English Dictionary So It's a Big Day for Eminem  by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 1, 2017 7:53 PM CUT  Eminem looking over at Brittany Murphy in a scene from the film '8 Mile', 2002\. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images) Eminem looking over at Brittany Murphy in a scene from the film '8 Mile', 2002\. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images)Universal Archive Photos—Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 1, 2017 7:53 PM CUT Oxford English Dictionary’s latest addition to the lexicon, the word “stan,” is often traced to one of rap’s greatest artists — none other than [Marshall Mathers, otherwise known to the world as Eminem](http://time.com/3601472/eminem-shady-xv/ "undefined"). The dictionary [officially defines a “stan”](https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/stan "undefined") as “an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity” and cites the origin as “early 21st century” and “probably an allusion” to [the rapper’s seminal 2000 single “Stan.”](http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1899935%5F1899936,00.html "undefined") The memorable track featured Dido and chronicled the fictional tale of an overzealous fan whose creepy obsession with Slim Shady leads to a fatal end for the fan and his pregnant girlfriend. In case you were wondering, the word can also be used as a verb, which the dictionary example describes thusly: “Y_‘all know I stan for Katy Perry, so I was excited to see the artwork for her upcoming album.”_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4801810/eminem-stan-oxford-english-dictionary/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4801810/eminem-stan-oxford-english-dictionary/"},"headline":"'Stan' Is Now an Officially Recognized Word in the Oxford English Dictionary So It's a Big Day for Eminem","datePublished":"2017-06-01T19:53:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:44:06.626Z","description":"A word that originated from Eminem's song about obsessive fan \"Stan\" is now officially recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary.","url":"https://time.com/4801810/eminem-stan-oxford-english-dictionary/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","Eminem","entertainment"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64ce39be601a94b4/6988cfcfa988ca81d06bc7db/eminem-8-mile.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64ce39be601a94b4/6988cfcfa988ca81d06bc7db/eminem-8-mile.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"170601_Eminem","caption":"Brittany Murphy And Eminem In '8 Mile'","creditText":"Universal Archive Photos—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4801810/eminem-stan-oxford-english-dictionary/","name":"'Stan' Is Now an Officially Recognized Word in the Oxford English Dictionary So It's a Big Day for Eminem"}}]}] ```