Memes dictionary
They Live Among Us
[th ey liv uh-muhng uhs]
黑料网 does They Live Among Us mean?
They Live Among Us was a December 2018 meme joking about various “evil聽menaces” that live among us (i.e., ordinary-looking people who are “monsters” for some unpopular characteristic).
Where does They Live Among Us come from?
On December 2, 2018, Twitter user @rudy-mustang cooked up a spicy new meme when he posted the following tweet, which condemned the marijuana smokers who “live among us.”
find the weed smoker:
馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔
馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔
馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔
馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔can鈥檛 find them?
that鈥檚 because they live among us, looking like normal people. the only real difference is they鈥檙e going to hell
— rudy mustang (@rudy_mustang)
Based on @rudy_mustang’s replies to other users who failed to recognize his irony, the tweet was meant as a joke, hinging on the hilariously fearmongering phrase聽they live among us聽to describe marijuana smokers.
The phrase they live among us聽calls up films like They Live or The Thing to describe predatory aliens or monsters disguised as humans. Of course, the joke behind @rudy_mustang聽is that marijuana smokers are normal, everyday people who, obviously, “live among us.”
@rudy_mustang’s tweet quickly became a meme on Twitter. By December 3, Twitter users were already riffing on They Live Among Us by describing other scary “threats” that lurk among mankind (e.g., people who don’t eat their pizza with ranch dressing).
find the people who streamed 'shape of you' by ed sheeran on repeat
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Can't find them?
That's because they live among us, looking like normal people. The only real difference is they're going to hell.
— indie (@INDIEWASHERE)
Find the people that dont like ranch on their pizza:
馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔
馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔
馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔
馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔Can鈥檛 find them?
That鈥檚 because they live among us, looking like normal people. The only real difference is they鈥檙e going to hell.
— Tyler Dempsey (@tdemps199)
Although it has a similar name the meme is not connected to the popular multi-player online game “Among Us.” The two were born the same year, but the game didn’t earn viral status until 2020 when millions of people stuck at home due to the COVID-19 began battling one another in a space-themed game of wits.
That game is responsible for the slang term “pretty sus” taking over the Internet.
Examples of They Live Among Us
Who uses They Live Among Us?
The simplest variations of They Live Among Us maintain the form of @rudy_mustang’s original tweet but change the threatening or menacing group鈥攖hat is, an unpopular opinion鈥�who are right under our noses.
find the Chick-Fil-A hater:
馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔
馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔
馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔
馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔can鈥檛 find them?
that鈥檚 because they live among us, looking like normal people. the only real difference is they鈥檙e going to hell
— Benjamin A. Vorwerk (@bvorwerk)
find the anime fan:
馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔
馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔
馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔
馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔can鈥檛 find them?
that鈥檚 because they live among us, looking like normal people. the only real difference is they鈥檙e going to hell
— carter (@rosebrews)
find the pineapple pizza lover:
馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔
馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔
馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔
馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔can鈥檛 find them?
that鈥檚 because they live among us, looking like normal people. the only real difference is they鈥檙e going to hell
— william new years eve (@hoesayb_)
Other memers go the extra mile and adjust the punchline 辞蹿听They Live Among Us to describe something desirable.
find the bean eater:
馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔
馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔
馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔
馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔can鈥檛 find them?
that鈥檚 because they live among us, looking like normal people. the only real difference is they are better than the average person in every possible way
— Good Bean Jokes (@goodbeanjokes)
find the weed smoker:
馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔
馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔
馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔
馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔can鈥檛 find them?
that鈥檚 because they live among us, looking like normal people. the only real difference is they smell like dank
— 馃嚥馃嚱Fer馃嚥馃嚱 (@ComradeFer)
Find the All American Rejects Fan
馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔馃恳馃徎馃恳馃徏馃恳馃径馃恳馃従馃恳馃徔
馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔馃懆馃徎馃懆馃徏馃懆馃径馃懆馃従馃懆馃徔
馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔馃懅馃徎馃懅馃徏馃懅馃径馃懅馃従馃懅馃徔
馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔馃懄馃徎馃懄馃徏馃懄馃径馃懄馃従馃懄馃徔Can鈥檛 find them?
That鈥檚 because they live among us, looking like normal people. The only difference is when you see their face they hope it gives you hell
— MENTAL ILLNESS (@swiftie6969)
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of They Live Among Us like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of They Live Among Us that will help our users expand their word mastery.