fiend, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

fiend v.

[fig. use of fiend n.]

1. (US black) to steal, esp. in the street.

1986

C. Stroud Close Pursuit (1988) 95: They called their work ‘fiending the heads.’.

2. (US drugs) to suffering withdrawal from narcotics.

1997		Simon & Burns Corner (1998) 357: His employers at Seapride [...] believed that he was more than just another fiending crudball.
1997		T. Fontana ‘A Game of Checkers’ Oz ser. 1 ep. 8 [TV script] We’re out of heroin. Atabisi and his pals’re starting to fiend.
2001		ONDCP Street Terms 9: Feenin — Behavior associated with a person craving cocaine or other addictive substances when they are unavailable.
2020		G. Krauze What They Was 37: Nittys, fiending in the stairwells like the undead lurking in a concrete tomb .

3. (orig. US) to need intensely; to be addicted to.

1995		L. Stavsky et al. A2Z 35/1: The poor sucka’s feanin’ for some crack. [Ibid.] 35/2: The young MC’s fiendin’ for a turn at the mic.
1997		T. Fontana ‘Visits’Oz ser. 1 ep. 2 [TV script] I fiendin’ to see my wife.
2000		Village Voice (N.Y.) 2 May n.p.: My younger brother, K, was fiending for a turkey sandwich.
2002		Teen Lingo: The Source for Youth Ministry 🌐 fiendin needing, like an urge. ‘I’m fiendin fer some cigs right now.’.
2007		UGK ‘Like That’ 🎵 Damn this pussy drive me fuckin crazy / I’m fiendin to eat it baby.
2009		J. Stahl Pain Killers 120: That’s what it means to fiend for something . . . You need it more than you care that it’s going to kill you.
2018-20		T. Thorne (ed.) ‘Drill Slang Glossary’ at Forensic Linguistic Databank 🌐 Feen - craving (for), e.g a drug.

4. (US black) to act aggressively.

1995

L. Stavsky et al. A2Z.

fiend off (v.)

of a crack coaine user, to leave.

2013

I Kirkman ‘Cocaine Starlight’ in ThugLit Nov.-Dec. [ebook] The crackheads fiend off to smoke.

fiend (on) (v.) (US black)

1. to show off, to outdo a rival.

1972		E. Folb Urban Black Argot 137: Fiend On to show up someone, particularly while in one’s car.
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 99: Da’s when a cat wanna scene, get fiendin’ on you.
1999		Dr Dre ‘Bitch Ass Niggaz’ 🎵 The top notch nigga, I’m fiendin for that spot.

2. to covet, to lust after, to become obsessed with.

1977		(con. 1960s) D. Goines Black Gangster (1991) 287: My thigh ain’t nowhere near white, nigger, so you might as well stop fiendin’ on it.
1992		UGK ‘Cramping My Style’ 🎵 Cause, I ain’t about havin nobody feenin on my jock!
1995		Mack 10 ‘Based on a True Story’ 🎵 Fienin for a hit, and you lookin for more.
2015		P. Beatty Sellout (2016) 142: Look at you, fiending after some white bitch like every other L.A. nigger.

fiend out (v.)

(UK drugs) to exhibit the signs of drug addiction.

2020

G. Krauze What They Was 223: Gotti smoking work? But he wasn’t all fiended out, looking skinny n shit, I say.