Many notable expressions from Seinfeld became popular phrases in everyday speech (“Seinfeldisms”). Among the most well-known:
- 1st and 1st - the street that intersects with itself, known to Kramer as the nexus of the universe.
- Anti-dentite - someone who discriminates against dentists, which Kramer accuses Jerry of being. ("The Yada Yada")
- Babka- Babka is a spongy cake that Elaine is obsessed with bringing to "The Dinner Party". Initially, she and Jerry want to buy chocolate babka, but the last one was purchased before they were able to get it; instead they decide on cinnamon babka.
- "Baby"- George often used the word baby in his phrases; a couple of examples would be "I'm back, baby! I'm back!" or "Oh, I'm gone, baby!" In "The Fire", Jerry says, "There's no precedent, baby!" George replies, "What, you're using my babies now?"
- Bad breaker-upper - someone who says the things you don't mean when you break up, but means them. ("The Andrea Doria")
- Baldist - someone who discriminates against bald people, George often being the victim.
- Boys - slang for semen. In "The Fix Up," after learning that the woman he dated missed her period, George exclaims, "I did it, my boys can swim!" Also used by Kramer to refer to his genitals.
- Bottle Wipe - When someone taking a sip of your water wipes the bottle thoroughly before taking the drink, despite having previously given you an open-mouthed kiss. Not a good sign.
- "Cantstandya!" - a nickname given to George by his high school gym teacher.
- "Cartwright!"- This is what the maître d' mistakenly calls out when George's girlfriend Tatiana called for him at the Chinese restaurant. Of course, he should have called out "Costanza" instead of "Cartwright". ("The Chinese Restaurant")
- Close talker - a person who doesn't understand the concept of personal space during conversation. Aaron is a close talker. ("The Raincoats")
- Coffee Table Book About Coffee Tables - this was Kramer's idea for a book, which Elaine's business Pendant Publishing was going to publish until the company was dissolved. Kramer promoted his book when he went on Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee; he ruined his interview, though, when he spit up coffee that he was drinking. ("The Opposite")
- Conjugal visit sex - the second best sex to have, fugitive sex being first and make-up sex being third.
- Costanza Leave Behind - Keys, gloves, scarf - go back to her place to pick it up...date number two.
- Coup de toe– George's comedy bit that Jerry performs unsuccessfully about the second toe outgrowing the big toe.
- Delicate Genius - George repeatedly uses this term in "The Kiss Hello"; in most cases he was using it when referring to Wendy, a physical therapist.
- Double-dipper - a person who inserts chip into dip, takes a bite, and unhygenically re-dips the chip, thereby essentially putting the whole mouth in the dip. George's double-dipping causes a fight at a funeral.
- Dry heave set to music - used to describe Elaine's horrendous dancing.
- Even Steven - a person [specifically Jerry in "The Opposite"] who always comes out even no matter what. For example, Jerry breaks even in Poker, loses a gig and then gets another one, throws a twenty dollar bill out the window and later finds twenty dollars.
- Festivus - a December holiday created by Frank Costanza to counteract the commercialism of those other December holidays.
- Fugitive sex - the one thing better than conjugal visit sex.
- “Get Out!” - Elaine's trademark line, usually accompanied by pushing someone backwards in the chest. Elaine did this to Kevin, The Bizarro Jerry; he took extreme exception to it and broke up with her as a result.
- Getting upset - used in the third person as in "George is getting upset!", exclaimed by George Louis Costanza himself. Self-reflective speech was initially a defining attribute of Jimmy ("The Jimmy").
- "Giddyup!" - Kramer's trademark line, meaning "it's all good" or "let's go".
- "Go!" - Another one of Kramer's trademarks. He would occasionally pick up the phone and use "Go!" instead of the standard, "Hello?"
- Gore-Tex- Gore-Tex is a type of fabric. George wore a Gore-Tex jacket in "The Dinner Party"; it is supposed to be a very warm fabric. The jacket gave him a puffed up appearance (someone mockingly called him "puffball"). George had to sell his Gore-Tex jacket when he knocked over a few bottles of wine in a liquor store and was unable to pay for it. Jerry also wears a jacket made of Gore-Tex in "The Wife".
- Hand sandwich-a type of layered handshake: one hand on top and the other on the bottom while shaking another person's hand.
- "Happy, Pappy?" - a term of endearment used by a girlfriend of George's when she wants to know if he's happy with something. "Pappy" is George himself, as he describes to Jerry. George was so annoyed with the expression that he broke up with his girlfriend.
- "Hello!" - the catchphrase of an imaginary, portly character who was inspired by the belly button of one of Jerry's girlfriends. This was eventually popular among Jerry, George, and Kramer.
- "Hello, Newman" - Jerry's greeting to a certain annoying postal worker. Helen also greets Newman this way in The Raincoats, Part 2.
- "Hello, Vargas" - Kevin's greeting to a certain friendly FedEx worker, who's the same size as Newman. This was intended as a joke, as Kevin and Vargas share a laugh over it.
- High talker - a person who speaks in an abnormally high pitch, usually to describe a male who sounds like a female.
- "Hipster doofus" - given by Kramer's girlfriend, the word accurately described and defined the character of Kramer for many of the viewers. Often taken as "someone who is intellectual and spirited, knowing the real design of life and not caring at all." Believed to be the roughest prototype of today's metrosexual man.
- "Hoochie Mama!" - an exclamation used by Kramer, and ultimately Frank Costanza, in place of "Serenity Now!" (see below). Kramer also uses it to express surprise or awe throughout the series.
- The Human Fund: Money For People - a fictional charity made up by George in order to save on spending for actual Christmas presents. After having donated people's presents to the Human Fund, his boss, Mr. Kruger, decides that the company should make a significant contribution and thinks the Human Fund is a worthy cause. As a result, George becomes an overnight philanthropist.
- "I am aware" - Yelled by George when one of his faults has been brought to his attention several times. Such as when he was pestering Elaine to have her friend fix him up with Marisa Tomei and she said, "But you're engaged." He replied, "I am aware."
- "I was in the pool!" - George's defense of being seen naked in "The Hamptons" episode. He says it twice, because he is short-changed by temporary shrinkage of his genitals.
- In the vault - an expression to indicate a secret, told in confidence, as in “Don’t worry. It’s in the vault.”
- "It's not you, it's me" - George claims he invented this break-up line.
- "John-John"- Elaine refers to John F. Kennedy, Jr. as "John-John" when asked why she was out of "The Contest", to which Jerry and George reply, "Oohh, John-John."
- Kavorka - "The lure of the animal", a powerful sexual attraction that Kramer possesses ("The Conversion").
- Kibosh —Crazy Joe Davola said he would put the kibosh on Jerry for ruining his deal with NBC, which throws Jerry and Kramer into a panic. Joe said, "I have kiboshed before, and I will kibosh again." ("The Opera")
- Laughing and Lying—Describing somebody who got away with something. Said by George when trying to verbally confront Jerry, Elaine and Susan in a Movie Theatre they're not even in. ("The Pool Guy"). Also said by Jackie Chiles in the Series Finale when describing the carjacker. ("The Finale")
- Low talker—a person who speaks very softly. This can have very adverse effects, especially when Jerry was 'low-talked' into wearing a puffy shirt on The Today Show.
- "Lupus?! Is it Lupus?!"—George exclaims this phrase on a couple of occasions in the beginning of the series; he usually said this when he was worried about his well-being, and thought that he might possibly be afflicted with Lupus. Of course he never was.
- Make-up sex—the sex when making up after an argument, which is the best type other than conjugal visit sex and fugitive sex.
- Manssiere/Bro - names proposed by Frank Costanza and Kramer (respectively) for support garments for male breasts.
- Man hands - phrase to describe a woman's hands when they are 'less than feminine.'
- Master of my domain - used to describe one's fortitude in refraining from masturbation.
- "Maybe the dingo ate your baby!" - What Elaine says to a woman at a party.
- Mimbo - a male bimbo, specifically used by Jerry to describe Tony, one of Elaine's many boyfriends.
- Moops - a typo for "Moors" on a Trivial Pursuit card; George seized upon it to deny the Bubble Boy the win.
- Mulva - the name Jerry guessed for a woman he was dating whose name he couldn't remember, all he knew was that it rhymed with a part of a woman's anatomy. After she stormed off in a huff because he couldn't remember her name, he realized it was Dolores.
- "Newman!" - spoken with hatred, usually by Jerry when he identifies that Newman is responsible for something, or all, that's bad. Variations include "Kramer!", "George!", and "Bania!" when other characters are believed to have slighted Jerry.
- "No soup for you!" - an exclamation used in the event where someone changes his or her mind about giving something to someone else. The word "soup" may be replaced with the object at hand; the reference to the show can still be very obvious if the speaker uses the correct tone of voice.
- "Not that there's anything wrong with that" - politically correct standard disclaimer, used to indicate that while one was not homosexual, one did not particularly disapprove of it.
- "Oh, Moses, smell the roses!" - interjection comparable to "Sweet, fancy Moses!"
- "Oh, the humanity!" - the phrase used by Newman after his U.S. Postal Service truck catches fire while he is driving at night. Newman is repeating the famous radio call of the Hindenberg disaster by Herb Morrison.
- "Pretty big matzo ball" - the phrase "I love you" when said and unreturned hangs out there like a matzo ball.
- Pop-in - the act of visiting without invitation or notification. Jerry claims to dislike the "pop-in" but has no choice as George, Elaine, and especially Kramer often "pop in" to his apartment.
- "Poppie's a little sloppy"- This is what Jerry said in reference to the fact that Poppie did not wash his hands before preparing their meal. ("The Pie")
- Poor little Pinkus - used by Kramer when he thought he pushed Steve Gendason, his golf buddy and a former baseball player, over the edge, Gendason murdering Pinkus, the dry cleaner.
- Queen of the castle - used to describe woman's (Elaine's) fortitude in refraining from masturbation; feminine form of "master of my domain." Elaine was queen of the castle until she saw John F. Kennedy, Jr., in an exercise class.
- Re-gift/re-gifter - take a (usually undesirable) present given to you, and give to someone else.
- Ribbon Bully - someone who forces to you wear a red AIDS ribbon.
- Schmoopie - nauseatingly sweet term of affection used by couples for each other, as in "I love you, Schmoopie!" Jerry uses it with a girlfriend, to George and Elaine's disgust.
- "Serenity now!" - something that George's father Frank paradoxically yells as a mantra to calm down. Unfortunately, when one uses the "serenity now" method of anger management, the person swallows the anger until it reaches a critical level and he or she explodes. Lloyd Braun claims that this is how he was driven insane: "Serenity now. Insanity later."
- "Seinfeld, you magnificent bastard!" - when Jerry impresses himself.
- Sexual camel - someone who can go long periods between sex.
- Shiksappeal - a non-Jewish female's sex appeal; it is a play on the Yiddish word shiksa.
- Shrinkage - the shrinking of a man's (specifically George Costanza) penis in cold water. "Like a frightened turtle," as Jerry says.
- Slip one past the goalie - to impregnate a woman, as phrased by Jerry in response to Kramer's lament that he had never done it.
- Soup Nazi - rude and gruff restaurateur who would kick clients out for not following procedures, declaring, "No soup for you!"
- "So who's having sex with the hen?" - the climax to Frank Costanza's dinner table commentary while he and Estelle are meeting Susan Ross' parents for the first time.
- Spongeworthy - that a potential sexual partner is particularly worthy; in the original episodes, being "spongeworthy" meant Elaine was willing to use one of her limited supply of (no longer produced) contraceptive Today sponges with this person.
- Stopping short - the technique of a driver of a car (usually male) who slams on the brakes, in order to get a cheap feel of the person in the passenger seat. Frank Costanza was notoriously good at this, and became angered when he believed Kramer had stopped short on Estelle.
- "Sweet Fancy Moses!!" - exclaimed by Jerry and George when they both are subject to Elaine's horrendous dancing.
- "That'll be ... five ... ten ... minutes" - to put off those who are in waiting, such as for a free table in a restaurant, for what overtly appears a moderate duration, but with the effect or even the intention to wait indefinitely.
- "That's a shame" - a line Jerry frequently uses to express half-hearted sympathy. George sometimes says it, too. Kramer uses the line in an episode where he and Jerry switch apartments and personalities.
- "That's gold, Jerry! Gold!" - phrase used by Bania when Jerry offers him a joke to use in his comedy routine, in place of one of Bania's own.
- The belt-less trenchcoat - a men's fashion design created by Morty Seinfeld in the late 1940s/early 1950s. Considered by the elder Seinfeld to be one of his greatest accomplishments. Also known as "The Executive."
- "The jerk store called: they're running out of you!" George's comeback for "The ocean called. They're running out of shrimp." George was pigging out on shrimp at a Yankees’ meeting.
- The jimmy leg - a condition that people have when their leg undergoes spasms while sleeping causing his/her significant other to lose sleep. This condition may cause a couple to sleep in different beds; Frank and Estelle Costanza resorted to sleeping in twin beds as a result of her jimmy arm.
- The move - Jerry's complicated special move he uses during sexual intercourse. It ends with a swirl (as opposed to Puddy's alternative, which ends with a pinch). George was able to master Jerry's move only with crib notes he scribbles on his hand (which got him in trouble).
- The old switcheroo - George mistakenly uses this phrase as applying to when someone has done something to you, you do the same thing to them. Jerry explains that George is thinking of "what is good for the goose is good for the gander." George asks, "What is a gander, anyway?" Jerry answers, "A goose that's had the old switcheroo pulled on it."
- The tap - during sex, to get a tap on the shoulder by your partner to cease activities because of subpar performance.
- The twirl - Jerry used to sell umbrellas on the street and claims he invented holding the umbrella open over one's shoulder and twirling it. The twirl must be done at a certain speed; otherwise, the twirler will disorient the customer.
- Toe thumbs - one of Jerry's girlfriends had a mysterious "tractor story." George suggested she lost her thumbs in a tractor accident and they grafted her big toes onto her thumbs.
- "These pretzels are making me thirsty!" - a line Kramer was to say in a Woody Allen movie; all four characters practiced saying the line in different ways. Later used as a filler phrase when irritated or nervous, and at a loss for words.
- "They just ... write it off!" - Kramer expressing his belief in a "write off" being something for which the consequences can be ignored, such as when a company writes off a loss.
- "They're real, and they're spectacular!" Explanation by Jerry's girlfriend about her real body. Jackie Chiles repeats this line, word for word, in The Finale.
- To name name(s) - an expression of the ultimate and irredeemable betrayal of an (until then shared) idea, or good; it refers to the betrayer.
- Trifecta—combining sex, watching television, and eating into one activity.
- Two-face—describes a girl who looks good in one lighting condition, and ugly in another. Also used: "hotsy totsy, hotsy notsy."
- Urban Sombrero - Advocated by Elaine, a sombrero designed for the urban business professional, combining "the spirit of Old Mexico with a little big-city panache". After becoming president of the company, Elaine proudly promotes the hat on the cover of the J. Peterman Catalog. The urban sombrero then bombs, and afterwards becomes symbolic of Elaine's hubris and, in general, of failure. As Peterman describes it, when Elaine shows him the catalog in the Burmese jungle, "The horror...the horror." This hat also took away the sales from umbrella salesmen. "Now we got that damn 'urban sombrero' to contend with."
- "Vargas!" - a positive exclamation, the opposite of "Newman!" as to identify a single individual being responsible for something that's good, from “The Bizarro Jerry”.
- "Vile weed!" - term used by Newman to describe broccoli.
- Walk-and-talk - Used in “The Finale”. Jerry advised Elaine that it was bad form to talk to a friend and then abruptly hang up on him or her while outdoors on a cell phone. There were other iterations of this expression later in the episode.
- "Who is this?" - Said by Jerry when called by a friend with a desperate situation.
- Worlds Theory - A theory of George's explaining that if relationship George and independent George where to meet then both his worlds will collide and explode. Unaware of this theory, Jerry suggested Elaine should be friends with Susan given that Elaine had no women friends. Kramer knew about this theory, Jerry apparently did not.
- "Yada yada yada" - used largely like "et cetera, et cetera", although in the original Seinfeld episode it was used to gloss over important details. George had a girlfriend who yada yada'd shoplifting. Elaine described a bad date - she yada yada'd sex, but she did mention the lobster bisque.
- "You are so good looking" - a proposed alternative phrase for when someone sneezes, rather than "God bless you."
- "You can stuff your sorries in a sack!" - George's annoying retort to Jerry's untimely "betrayal". It was invented by Susan.
- "You gotta see the baby!" - annoying phrase muttered by new parents to uninterested friends.
- "You mean the panties your mother laid out for you?" - An attempt at dirty talking by Jerry. What does it mean? No one is sure. This phrase caused Elaine's too-talkative colleague Sandra to break up with Jerry in the middle of sex. Although as George points out, "Well, that's not offensive. It's abnormal, but it's not offensive."
- "You tell that son of a bitch that no Yankee is ever coming to Houston, not as long as you bastards are running things!" - George's sarcastic response to the Astros' question about their team playing against the Yankees. Upon hearing this out of context, Wilhelm angrily slams down the phone, and later Steinbrenner recommends a hot tub to George.
- Yo-Yo Ma! - A prominent cellist whose name is exclaimed randomly by Kramer after being kicked in the head by "Crazy" Joe Davola.