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Acronyms

 

What's an Acronym?

An acronym is an abbreviation formed from each of the first letters of a descriptive phrase or by combining the initial letters or parts of words from the phrase. An acronym is actually a type of abbreviation. The word comes from Greek, meaning heads of names. The origins of acronyms are a little unclear, but their widespread use in daily life is a relatively modern phenomenon. In more restricted circumstances, however, they have been in use for thousands of years (both the Roman and Hebrew cultures used them).

Here are some examples of acronyms:

As Far As I Know = AFAIK
As Soon As Possible = ASAP
Seek Professional Help = SPH

Their use has become very popular in recent years, especially in e-mail, text messaging, chat rooms and online forums.

Below you will find many acronnyms, sorted alphabetically. If you have an acronym and want to know what it means, and it's not listed here (and many are not) go to the The Acronym Finder or Abbreviations.com, links below. You can also create your own acronyms at the Systematic Buzz Phrase Generator or The Acronym Liar websites, links below.

If you have an acronym you'd like to see us add, drop us an e-mail.



| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | l | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
| No Letter Alpha Acroynms |


| Official USPS Abbreviations (state abbreviations, street suffixes and secondary unit designators) |



A

Acronym Meaning
AAMOF as a matter of fact
ABFL a big fat lady
ABT about
ADN any day now
AFAIC as far as I’m concerned
AFAICT as far as I can tell
AFAICS as far as I can see
AFAIK as far as I know
AFAYC as far as you’re concerned
AFK away from keyboard
AFSCME american federation of state, county and municipal employees
AH ass hole
AIDS acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AISI as I see it
AIUI as I understand it
AKA also known as
AML all my love
ANFSCD and now for something completely different
A&R artists and repertoire (music industry)
ASAP as soon as possible
ASCII american standard code for information interchange
ASL assistant section leader
ASL age, sex, location
ASLP age, sex, location, picture
A/S/L age/sex/location
ASOP assistant system operator
ATM at this moment
AWA as well as
AWHFY are we having fun yet?
AWGTHTGTTA are we going to have to go trough this again?
AWOL absent without leave
AWOL away without leave
AYOR at your own risk
AYPI? and your point is?


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B

Acronym Meaning
B4 before
B4N bye for now
BAC back at computer
BAG busting a gut
BAK back at the keyboard
BANANA build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything (anyone)
BBIAB be back in a bit
BBL be back later
BBLBNTSBO be back later but not too soon because of...
BBR burnt beyond repair
BBS be back soon
BBS bulletin board system
BC be cool
B/C because
BCnU be seeing you
BEG big evil grin
BF boyfriend
B/F boyfriend
BFN bye for now
BG big grin
BION believe it or not
BIOYIOB blow it out your I/O port
BITMT but in the meantime
BM bite me
BMB bite my bum
BMTIPG brilliant minds think in parallel gutters
BKA better known as
BL belly laughing
BOB back off bastard
BOL be on later
BOM bitch of mine
BOT back on topic
BRB be right back
BRBB be right back bitch
BRBS be right back soon
BRH be right here
BRS big red switch
BS big smile
BS bull shit
BSF but seriously folks
BST but seriously though
BTA but then again
BTAIM be that as it may
BTDT been there done that
BTOBD be there or be dead
BTOBS be there or be square
BTSOOM beats the s**t out of me
BTW by the way
BVM blessed Virgin Mary
BWH bust/waist/hip measurement
BWQ buzz word quotient
BWTHDIK but what the heck do I know
BYO bring your own
BYOB bring your own bottle
BYOH bat you on the head


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C

Acronym Meaning
C&G chuckle and grin
CAD ctrl-alt-delete
CADET can’t add, doesn’t even try
CDIO conceive — design — implement — operate
CDIWY couldn’t do it without you
CFV call for votes
CFS care for secret?
CFY calling for you
CID crying in disgrace
CIM CompuServe information manager
CLM career limiting move
CM@TW catch me on the web
CMIIW correct me if I’m wrong
CNP continue in next post
CO conference
CRAFT can’t remember a fu* king thing
CRS can’t remember shit
CSG chuckle snicker grin
CTS changing the subject
CU see you
CU2 see you too
CUL see you later
CUL8R see you later
CWOT complete waste of time
CWYL chat with you later
CYA see ya
CYA cover your ass
CYAL8R see ya later
CYO see you online


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D

Acronym Meaning
DBA doing business as
DCed disconnected
DFLA disenhanced four-letter acronym
DH darling husband
DIIK darn if i know
DGA digital guardian angel
DGARA don’t give a rats ass
DINK double income no kids
DINKY double income no kids yet
DIKU do I know you?
DIRTFT do it right the first time
DITYID did I tell you I’m distressed
DIY do it yourself
DL download
DL dead link
DLTBBB don’t let the bed bugs bite
DMMGH don’t make me get hostile
DQMOT don’t quote me on this
DND do not disturb
DTC damn this computer
DTRT do the right thing
DUCT did you see that?
DWAI don’t worry about it
DWIM do what I mean
DWIMC do what I mean, correctly
DWISNWID do what I say, not what I do
DYJHIW don’t you just hate it when...
DYK do you know


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E

Acronym Meaning
EAK eating at keyboard
EAJA equal access to justice act
ED erectile dysfunction
EIE enough is enough
EG evil grin
EMA eat my ass (to get someone off your back)
EMFBI excuse me for butting in
EMFJI excuse me for jumping in
EMSG email message
EOD end of discussion
EOF end of file
EOL end of lecture
EOM end of message
EOS end of story
EOT end of thread
ESAD eat s**t and die
ETA estimated time of arrival
ETLA extended three letter acronym
EU european union
EYC excitable, yet calm


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F

Acronym Meaning
F female
FA flight attendant
FB f**k buddy
FB friend with benefits
F/F face to face
F2F face to face
FAA federal aviation administration
FAQ frequently asked questions
FAWC for anyone who cares
FBI federal bureau of investigation (U.S.)
FBOW for better or worse
FBTW fine, be that way
FCFS first come, first served
FCOL for crying out loud
FIFO first in, first out
FIGJAM f**k i'm good, just ask me
FISH first in, still here
FLA four-letter acronym
FMCG fast moving consumer goods
FOAD f**k off and die
FOAF friend of a friend
FOB f**k off bitch
FOC free of charge
FOCL falling of chair laughing
FOFL falling on the floor laughing
FOS freedom of speech
FOTCL falling of the chair laughing
FTF face to face
FTTT from time to time
FTP file transfer protocol
FU f**ked up
FUBAR f**ked up beyond all recognition
FUDFUCT fear, uncertainty and doubt
FUCT failed under continuous testing
FURTB full up ready to burst (about hard disk drives)
FW freeware
FWIW for what it’s worth
FYA for your amusement
FYE for your entertainment
FYEO for your eyes only
FYI for your information
FYIFV f**k you, i'm fully vested


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G

Acronym Meaning
G grin
G2B going to bed
G&BIT grin & bear it
G2G got to go
G2GGS2D got to go get something to drink
G2GTAC got to go take a crap
G2GTAP got to go take a pee
GA go ahead
GA good afternoon
GAAP generally accepted accounting principles
GAFIA get away from it all
GAL get a life
GAO general accounting office (U.S.)
GAS greetings and salutations
GBH great big hug
GBH&K great big huh and kisses
GBR garbled beyond recovery
GB god bless you
GD&H grinning, ducking and hiding
GD&R grinning, ducking and running
GD&RAFAP grinning, ducking and running as fast as possible
GD&REF&F grinning, ducking and running even further and faster
GD&RF grinning, ducking and running fast
GD&RVF grinning, ducking and running very fast
GD&W grin, duck and wave
GDW grin, duck and wave
GE good evening
GF girlfriend
GFETE grinning from ear to ear
GFN gone for now
GFU good for you
GG good game
GGU2 good game you two
GIGO garbage in garbage out
GJ good job
GL good luck
GL&GH good luck and good hunting
GM good morning / good move / good match
GMAB give me a break
GMAO giggling my ass off
GMBO giggling my butt off
GMTA great minds think alike
GN good night
GOK god only knows
GOWI get on with it
GPF general protection fault
GR8 great
GR&D grinning, running and ducking
GtG got to go
GTSY glad to see you
GUBU grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented


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H

Acronym Meaning
H hug
H/O hold on
H&K hug and kiss
HAK hug and kiss
HAGD have a good day
HAGN have a good night
HAGS have a good summer
HAG1 have a good one
HAHA having a heart attack
HAND have a nice day
HB hug back
HB hurry back
HDYWTDT how do you work this dratted thing
HF have fun
HH holding hands
HHIS hanging head in shame
HHJK ha ha, just kidding
HHOJ ha ha, only joking
HHOK ha ha, only kidding
HHOS ha ha, only seriously
HIH hope it helps
HILIACACLO help I lapsed into a coma and can’t log off
HIWTH hate it when that happens
HLM he loves me
HMS home made smiley
HMS hanging my self
HMT here’s my try
HMWK homework
HOAS hold on a second
HSIK how should i know
HTH hope this helps
HTHBE hope this has been enlightening
HTTP hypertext transfer protocol
HYLMS hate you like my sister


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I

Acronym Meaning
IAAA I am an accountant
IAAL I am a lawyer
IAC in any case
IC I see
IAE in any event
IAG it’s all good
IAG I am gay
IAIM in an Irish minute
IANAA I am not an accountant
IANAL I am not a lawyer
IBN I’m bucked naked
ICOCBW I could of course be wrong
IDC I don’t care
IDGI I don’t get it
IDGARA I don’t give a rat’s ass
IDGW in a good way
IDI I doubt it
IDK I don’t know
IDTT I’ll drink to that
IED improvised explosive device
IFVB I feel very bad
IGP I gotta pee
IGTP I get the point
IHTFP I hate this f**king place
IHTFP I have truly found paradise
IHU I hate you
IHY I hate you
II I’m impressed
IIT I’m impressed too
IIR if I recall
IIRC if I recall correctly
IJWTK I just want to know
IJWTS I just want to say
IK I know
IKWUM I know what you mean
ILBCNU I’ll be seeing you
ILU I love you
ILY I love you
ILYFAE I love you forever and ever
IMAO in my arrogant opinion
IMFAO in my f***ing arrogant opinion
IMBO in my bloody opinion
IMCO in my considered opinion
IME in my experience
IMHO in my humble opinion
IMNSHO in my, not so humble opinion
IMO in my opinion
IMOBO in my own biased opinion
IMPOV in my point of view
IMP I might be pregnant
INAL I’m not a lawyer
INPO in no particular order
IOIT I’m on Irish Time
IOW in other words
IPO intitial public offering
IRL in real life
IRMFI I reply merely for information
IRSTBO it really sucks the big one
IS I’m sorry
ISEN internet search environment number
ISTM it seems to me
ISTR I seem to recall
ISWYM I see what you mean
ITFA in the final analysis
ITRO in the reality of
ITRW in the real world
ITSFWI if the shoe fits, wear it
IVL in virtual live
IWALY I will always love you
IWBNI it would be nice if
IYKWIM if you know what I mean
IYSWIM if you see what I mean


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J

Acronym Meaning
JAM just a minute
JAS just a second
JASE just another system error
JAWS just another windows shell
JIC just in case
JJWY just joking with you
JK just kidding
J/K just kidding
JMHO just my humble opinion
JMO just my opinion
JP just playing
J/P just playing
JTLYK just to let you know


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K

Acronym Meaning
K OK
K kiss
KHYF know how you feel
KB kiss back
KIBO knowledge in, bullshit out
KISS keep it simple sister
KIS(S) keep it simple (stupid)
KISS keeping it sweetly simple
KIT keep in touch
KMA kiss my ass
KMB kiss my butt
KMSMA kiss my shiny metal ass
KOTC kiss on the cheek
KOTL kiss on the lips
KUTGW keep up the good work
KWIM know what I mean?


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L

Acronym Meaning
L laugh
L8R later
L8R G8R later gator
LAB life’s a bitch
LAM leave a message
LAN local area network
LBR little boys room
LD long distance
LG lovely greetings
LGR little girls room
LHM Lord help me
LHU Lord help us
LL&P live long & prosper
LNK love and kisses
LMA leave me alone
LMABO laughing my ass back on
LMAO laughing my ass off
LMBO laughing my butt off
LMHO laughing my head off
LMFAO laughing my fat ass off
LMK let me know
LOL laughing out loud
LOL lots of love
LOL lots of luck
LOLA laughing out loud again
LOML light of my life (or love of my life)
LOMLILY light of my life, I love you
LOOL laughing out outrageously loud
LSHIPMP laughing so hard I pissed my pants
LSHMBB laughing so hard my belly is bouncing
LSHMBH laughing so hard my belly hurts
LTNS long time no see
LTR long term relationship
LTS laughing to self
LULAS love you like a sister
LUWAMH love you with all my heart
LY love ya
LYK let you know
LYL love ya lots
LYLAB love ya like a brother
LYLAS love ya like a sister


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M

Acronym Meaning
M male
MB maybe
MIDI musical instrument digital interface
MILF mother (mom) i'd like to f**k
MOTOS member(s) of the opposite sex
MRI magnetic resonance imaging
MYOB mind your own business
M8 mate


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N

Acronym Meaning
N in
NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement
NASA national aeronautics and space administration (U.S.)
NATO north atlantic treaty organization
N2M not too much
N/C not cool
NCO non-commissioned officer (armed forces) or net capital outflow
NE1 anyone
NETUA nobody ever tells us anything
NFI no fu**ing idea
NIMBY not in my back yard
NIMG not in my generation
NL not likely
NM never mind / nothing much
N/M never mind / nothing much
NMH not much here
NMJC nothing much, just chillin’
NOM no offense meant
NOTTOMH not of the top of my mind
NOYB none of your business
NOYFB none of your f***ing business
NP no problem
NPS no problem sweet(ie)
NTA non-technical acronym
N/S no shit
NVM never mind


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O

Acronym Meaning
OBTW oh, by the way
OIC oh, I see
OF on fire
OFIS on floor with stitches
OK agree, abbreviation of all correct
OL old lady (wife, girlfriend)
OLA online advertising
OM old man (husband, boyfriend)
OMG oh my god / gosh / goodness
OOC out of character
OT Off topic / other topic
OTOH on the other hand
OTTOMH off the top of my head


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P

Acronym Meaning
PAC political action committee
PAW parents are watching
PDS please don’t shoot
PEBCAK problem exists between chair and keyboard
PHP hypertext preprocessor (computer scripting language)
PLZ please
PM private message
PMJI pardon my jumping in (Another way for PMFJI)
PMFJI pardon me for jumping in
PMP peed my pants
POAHF put on a happy face
POOF I have left the chat
POS parents over shoulder
POTB pats on the back
PPL people
PS post script
PSA public show of affection


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Q

Acronym Meaning
Q4U question for you
QSL reply
QSO conversation
QT cutie


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R

Acronym Meaning
R&D research & development
R&R rest and relaxation
RCed reconnected
RE hi again (same as re’s)
RIP rest in peace
ROFL rolling on floor laughing
ROFLAPMP rolling on floor laughing and peed my pants
ROFLMAO rolling on floor laughing my ass off
ROFLOLAY rolling on floor laughing out loud at you
ROFLOLTSDMC rolling on floor laughing out loud tears streaming down my cheeks
ROFLOLWTIME rolling on floor laughing out loud with tears in my eyes
ROFLOLUTS rolling on floor laughing out loud unable to speak
ROTFL rolling on the floor laughing
RSVP répondez s'il vous plaît", a french phrase that translates to "please respond
RVD really very dumb
RUTTM are you talking to me
RTF read the FAQ
RTFM read the f***ing manual
RTSM read the stupid manual


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S

Acronym Meaning
S2R send to receive
SAM surface to air missle
SAMAGAL stop annoying me and get a life
SATB initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass (scoring for choruses and choirs)
SCUBA self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
SCNR sorry, could not resist
SETE smiling ear to ear
SH so hot
SH same here
SHICPMP so happy I could piss my pants
SHID slaps head in disgust
SHMILY see how much I love you
SNAFU situation normal, all F***ed up
SO significant other
SOHF sense of humor failure
SOHO small office, home office
SOMY sick of me yet?
SPAM stupid persons’ advertisement
SPF seek professional help
SRY sorry
SSDD same shit different day
STBY sucks to be you
STFU shut the f*ck up
STI stick(ing) to it
STW search the web
SWAK sealed with a kiss
SWALK sweet, with all love, kisses
SWL screaming with laughter
SIM shit, it’s Monday
SITWB sorry, in the wrong box
S/U shut up
SYS see you soon
SYSOP system operator


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T

Acronym Meaning
TA thanks again
TACAMO take charge and move out (U.S. military term)
TBA to be announced/advised/arranged/added
TCO taken care of
TGIF thank god its Friday
THTH to hot to handle
THX thanks
TIA thanks in advance
TIIC the idiots in charge
TJM that’s just me
TLA three-letter acronym
T&M time and materials
TMA take my advice
TMI to much information
TMS to much showing
TNSTAAFL there’s no such thing as a free lunch
TNX thanks
TOH to other half
TOY thinking of you
TPTB the powers that be
TSDMC tears streaming down my cheeks
TT2T to tired to talk
TTFN ta ta for now
TTT thought that, too
TTUL talk to you later
TTYIAM talk to you in a minute
TTYL talk to you later
TTYLMF talk to you later my friend
TU thank you
TWMA till we meet again
TX thanx
TY thank you
TYVM thank you very much


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U

Acronym Meaning
U2 you too
UAPITA you’re a pain in the ass
UR your
UW you’re welcome
URAQT! you are a cutie!


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V

Acronym Meaning
VALS values attitude and life-styles
VAR value added reseller
VBG very big grin
VBS very big smile
VSB very small business
VLE very large enterprise


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W

Acronym Meaning
W8 wait
W8AM wait a minute
WAY what about you
WAY who are you
WB welcome back
WBS write back soon
WC3 world wide web consortium
WDHLM why doesn’t he love me
WDYWTTA What Do You Want To Talk About
WE whatever
W/E whatever
WFM works for me
WNDITWB we never did it this way before
WP wrong person
WRT with respect to
WTF what/who the F***?
WTG way to go
WTGP want to go private?
WTH what/who the heck?
WTMI way to much information
WU what’s up?
WUD what’s up dog?
WUF where are you from?
WUWT what's up with that
WYMM will you marry me?
WYSIWYG what you see is what you get
WYSIWYM what you see is what you mean
WYCIWYW what you see is what you want


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X

Acronym Meaning
XML extensible markup language
XTLA extended three letter acronym


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Y

Acronym Meaning
Y why?
Y2K you’re too kind
YATB you are the best
YAFLA yet another five-letter acronym or yet another five-letter abbreviation
YBS you’ll be sorry
YG young gentleman
YHBBYBD you’d have better bet your bottom dollar
YKYWTKM you know you want to kiss me
YL young lady
YL you ’ll live
YM you mean
YM young man
YMMD you’ve made my day
YMMV your mileage may vary
YOB year of birth
YTDB year to date
YVM you’re very welcome
YW you’re welcome
YWIA you’re welcome in advance
YWTHM you want to hug me
YWTLM you want to love me
YWTKM you want to kiss me
YOYO you’re on your own
YY4U two wise for you


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Z

Acronym Meaning
ZBB zero base bugeting
ZD zero defects
ZIF zero insertion force or zero intermediate frequency
ZIP zone improvement plan
ZULU greenwich mean time


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No Letter Alpha Acronyms

Acronym Meaning
? huh?
?4U question for you
>U screw you!
/myB kick my boobs
2U2 to you too
2MFM to much for me
4AYN for all you know
4COL for crying out loud
4SALE for sale
4U for you
=w= whatever
*G* giggle or grin
*H* hug
*K* kiss
*S* smile
*T* tickle
*W* wink


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The Acronym Finder

The Acronym Finder is a searchable database of more than abbreviations and acronyms about computers, technology, telecommunications, and the military. Over the years, the site has received numerous awards.

Acronym Finder is not a glossary of terms, web search engine, or dictionary or a thesaurus -- it is only designed to search for and expand acronyms and abbreviations.

Another good source is Abbreviations.com, where you can find definitions for acronyms and abbreviations from A to Z. Search by letter, or browse abbreviations and acronyms used by the government, doctors, scientists, and the Internet.

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Systematic Buzz Phrase Generator

In 1968, Newsweek magazine published a short, but humorous article, How to Win at Wordsmanship. It described the "Systematic Buzz Phrase Projector," a concept developed by Philip Broughton, a (then) 63 year old worker in the US Public Health Service. He must have had a delightful sense of humor.

The Acronym Finder has implemented Broughton's Systematic Buzz Phrase Projector (SBPP if you like) as a fun way of not only randomly generating his buzz phrases, but also (what else?), the corresponding acronyms and abbreviations they form.

To use the SBPP, just make up a 3 digit number and then choose the numbered buzzword from each column. So, if you chose 031, you would get Integrated Reciprocal Flexibility (IRF). Try it for yourself.

Also check out The Acronym Liar...randomized and completely false acronyms at the touch of a button.
 

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