DictionaryInternet slang

Receipts

Definition

Screenshots, messages, photos, recordings, or other evidence used to support a claim or expose what actually happened.

Example
She brought the receipts and posted the original messages that proved the story was false.
How it is used

People ask for receipts when they want evidence rather than rumors. The term is especially common in online arguments, celebrity drama, callout posts, and relationship disputes.

Origin and context

Receipt has long meant a written record of a transaction. Black and queer communities helped popularize the figurative sense of documented proof, and reality television and social media spread it widely.

Common variations

bring the receipts

Provide evidence that supports what you are claiming.

show the receipts

Reveal screenshots, messages, or other proof.

no receipts

A criticism that someone has made a claim without evidence.

Frequently asked questions
Do receipts have to be screenshots?

No. They can be messages, videos, photos, documents, timestamps, or any other evidence.

Is asking for receipts rude?

It can be confrontational, but it may also be a reasonable request for proof when a claim is disputed.

Why are they called receipts?

A store receipt documents what happened in a transaction, so the slang extends that idea to evidence in general.

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Caught in 4K

Clearly exposed doing something wrong, embarrassing, or contradictory, with strong evidence.

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