What Exactly Does the 🫦 Biting Lip Emoji Mean?

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Every possible meaning of the 🫦 emoji (plus what the yellow face biting lip emoji means)

Co-authored by Kyle Hall Reviewed by John Keegan

Last Updated: August 26, 2025 Fact Checked

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Meanings

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Alternative Biting Lip Emoji

The 🫦 (biting lip) emoji is an enigma. It’s new on the emoji scene—Apple only just released it in 2021—but it’s already everywhere. TikTok. Facebook. Your text messages. So what exactly does this shiny (or should we say glossy) new emoji mean? And what about that other biting lip emoji floating around online, the one with the yellow face? To help you get to the bottom of things, we’ve tracked down every single possible meaning of the 🫦 (biting lip) emoji, examples included. Loose lips may sink ships, but we’re ready to spill all the details anyway.

Things You Should Know

The 🫦 emoji can mean someone is turned on and feeling sexy.
🫦 can also mean someone is feeling anxious.
Sometimes people use the 🫦 emoji when they’re excited or in pain.

Section 1 of 2:

Meanings

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1
The 🫦 emoji is a flirty way to say you’re turned on. If someone sends you the 🫦 emoji, chances are they’re feeling flirty (and frisky).^{[1]
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Research source} Before you jump to conclusions though, think about the context of their message. Did they send you 🫦 along with a flirtatious text (“I wish you were with me right now 🫦”)? Or did they tack on 🫦 at the end of a totally non-sexy aside (“Ugh, I just stubbed my big toe 🫦”)?
- If they paired 🫦 with a flirty message, they’re probably really into you.
- If their message doesn’t seem flirty at all, their use of 🫦 might be more innocent.
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The 🫦 emoji can also mean you’re anxious or nervous. Ever chewed your lips while taking a big exam or watching a scary movie? That might be how the person sending you the 🫦 emoji is feeling. If they add 🫦 to a message about how stressed or anxious they are, that’s why.^{[2]
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- “I’ve been studying for 9 hours straight but I’m still dreading this test 🫦”
- “This movie has me on the edge of my seat 🫦🫣”
- “Why am I lying in bed at 3am thinking about the eventual heat death of the universe 🫦💀🌌? What is wrong with me? Pls help”
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🫦 can mean you’re excited about something. And no, not just the sexual kind of excitement. Think getting ready to go on a European vacation with your besties, or finding out they’re bringing back your favorite brand of popsicles that were discontinued when you were 12. If someone pairs the 🫦 emoji with a celebratory message, they might just be really excited about something.^{[3]
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Research source}
- “Taylor Swift’s new album is coming out in 6 days and I’m freaking out 🚨🚨🚨🫦🫦🫦”
- “I cannot wait any longer for the new Marvel movie to come out 🫦👀 I need an excuse to eat too much popcorn and drink 3 large sodas”
- “Tomorrow is the first day of fall and I’m eagerly awaiting its arrival in my comfy sweater 🍂😬🫦”
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🫦 could also mean you’re in pain. Why does biting your lip after slamming your finger in something seem to help with the pain? We’re not sure, but it’s why some people pair the 🫦 emoji with posts or messages about how much pain they’re in.^{[4]
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- “So I got hit in the face with a baseball today 🫦⚾. Check out this gnarly bruise”
- “I just watched a video of someone slip and fall backwards on the diving board 🫣🫦 Remind me to never use a diving board again”
- “I fell out of a tree and broke my arm ☹️🫦”

Section 2 of 2:

Alternative Biting Lip Emoji

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What’s up with that other biting lip emoji (the yellow face one)? Ah yes, the alternative, unofficial biting lip emoji. You may have seen the meme of this yellow face biting lip emoji floating around places like TikTok and Discord. Before the actual biting lip emoji was released, internet users came together to create their own version, then pushed for Apple to make it official. There was even a Change.org petition that got over 40,000 signatures. While the yellow face biting lip emoji sadly never became official, Apple did eventually release its own version in 2021.
- Like the 🫦 emoji, the yellow face biting lip emoji is usually used to show that someone is turned on (leave it to the internet to create more “sexy” emojis).

Understand and Use Sexual Emojis with this Expert Series

We've all been there. You're flirting with someone over text, and then they send a confusing emoji. What does it mean? Read this expert series and learn how to use emojis to upgrade your flirting!