🤤
Drooling Face
droo-ling feys
Definitions
1
Food · Desire
Very Common
Expresses intense desire or craving for food, typically when seeing or thinking about something delicious that makes one salivate.
Commonly used in response to food photos or when discussing meals. Indicates something looks extremely appetizing.
Just made homemade pizza with extra cheese 🤤
Instagram food post
When the waiter walks by with someone else's order 🤤
Twitter joke
In food contexts, this emoji has become a staple response on social media food posts, particularly on Instagram and TikTok.
2
Attraction · Desire
Common
Indicates sexual or romantic attraction, suggesting the person or thing is so desirable it causes a physical reaction similar to drooling.
Often used flirtatiously or to express attraction to someone. Can range from playful to overtly sexual depending on context.
Did you see Chris Hemsworth in that new movie trailer? 🤤
WhatsApp group chat
New gym selfie 💪 feeling good about my progress 🤤
Instagram caption with selfie
This usage has grown significantly since 2018, particularly among younger users who employ it as a less explicit alternative to other suggestive emojis.
3
Material · Desire
Uncommon
Expresses strong desire for material objects, especially luxury items, suggesting they're so appealing they cause a drooling reaction.
Used when coveting expensive or desirable items like cars, technology, or fashion. Less common than food or attraction contexts.
Just saw the new iPhone reveal 🤤 Need to upgrade ASAP
Twitter comment
This usage emerged around 2019 and reflects the emoji's expansion beyond food to material consumption and consumer culture.
Evolution Timeline
2016
Introduced in Unicode 9.0 primarily associated with food desire.
Growing trend of food photography on Instagram driving need for reaction emojis.
2018
Usage expanded significantly to include attraction and flirtation contexts.
Dating apps and social media driving new ways to express attraction digitally.
2020
Explosion in food-related usage during pandemic lockdowns as food content surged online.
COVID-19 lockdowns led to increased home cooking and food content consumption.
2022
Became standard reaction emoji on TikTok food videos, cementing its food association.
TikTok's algorithm-driven food content created consistent usage patterns.
Cultural Context
The drooling face represents desire made visible, reflecting how digital culture has normalized public expressions of craving and wanting that were previously considered impolite.
This emoji has undergone semantic broadening, expanding from literal drooling to metaphorical expressions of desire across multiple domains (food, attraction, material goods).
Its rise coincides with food content becoming a dominant social media category, serving as a primary reaction emoji in food-focused communities across platforms.
Gen Z has embraced this emoji's dual meaning more fluidly, switching between food and attraction contexts without the hesitation sometimes seen in older users.
The pandemic significantly boosted this emoji's usage as food content surged during lockdowns and people sought digital ways to express pleasure and desire.
Regional Variations
Australia
Used liberally in both food and attraction contexts, often with Australian slang terms.
United Kingdom
Commonly used but with more restraint in attraction contexts. Often used ironically or sarcastically in British humor.
United States
Heavily used in both food and attraction contexts, with food usage slightly predominating. Often paired with fire emoji.
Generational Usage
Gen_X: More literal usage, primarily for food. May avoid attraction contexts as being too forward. Often used in family chats about meals.
Gen_Z: Fluid usage across contexts with minimal distinction between food and attraction meanings. Frequently used on TikTok, often with exaggeration for comedic effect.
Older: Limited usage, primarily literal for food contexts. Rarely used for attraction. May misinterpret the emoji as representing illness or tiredness.
Millennials: Primarily used for food content, especially on Instagram. When used for attraction, often softened with humor to appear less forward.
Common Combinations
🤤😋
Extreme food appreciation, suggesting something is mouth-wateringly delicious.
Common reaction to food videos or photos, especially on Instagram and TikTok.
🤤🔥
Intense attraction or desire, either for food or a person.
Used primarily by younger generations to express strong desire or approval.
🤤💦
Strong sexual attraction or desire with explicit connotations.
Used primarily in flirtatious or sexual contexts, considered somewhat explicit.
😴🤤
Literally drooling while sleeping, or feeling so tired one is practically drooling.
Used literally to represent actual drooling, often in a humorous context.
🤤👀
Watching something or someone desirable with intense interest.
Used to indicate staring at something appealing, often with humorous undertones.
Related Emojis
😋
Both express food enjoyment, but 😋 suggests currently eating while 🤤 indicates anticipation.
😍
Both express intense appreciation, but 😍 is more romantic/emotional while 🤤 is more physical/desire-based.
🍽️
Often used together in food contexts, with 🍽️ representing the meal and 🤤 the reaction.
💦
Both represent bodily fluids and are sometimes used together in suggestive contexts.
🥴
Both show facial expressions with slightly disheveled appearance, sometimes used interchangeably.