What is the word lol means

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the internet slang initialism. For other uses, see LOL (disambiguation).

This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Sources are all from the 2000s so this article does not document modern usage and includes information that is no longer relevant.. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (March 2021)

LOL, or lol, is an initialism for laughing out loud^[1][2][3][4] and a popular element of Internet slang. It was first used almost exclusively on Usenet, but has since become widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communication and even face-to-face communication. It is one of many initialisms for expressing bodily reactions, in particular laughter, as text, including initialisms for more emphatic expressions of laughter such as LMAO^[5] («laughing my ass off») and ROFL^[6][7][8] or ROTFL^[9][10] («rolling on the floor laughing»).

The list of acronyms «grows by the month» (said Peter Hershock in 2003),^[7] and they are collected along with emoticons and smileys into folk dictionaries that are circulated informally amongst users of Usenet, IRC, and other forms of (textual) computer-mediated communication.^[11] These initialisms are controversial, and several authors^{[12][13][14][15]} recommend against their use, either in general or in specific contexts such as business communications.

The Oxford English Dictionary first listed LOL in March 2011.^[16]

Origins

In the 1980s, Wayne Pearson was reportedly the first person to have used LOL while responding to a friend’s joke in a pre-Internet digital chat room called Viewline. Instead of writing «hahaha,» as he had done before when he found something humorous, Pearson instead typed «LOL» to symbolize extreme laughter.^[17][18]

Analysis

Silvio Laccetti (professor of humanities at Stevens Institute of Technology) and Scott Molski, in their essay entitled The Lost Art of Writing, are critical of the terms, predicting reduced chances of employment for students who use such slang, stating that, «Unfortunately for these students, their bosses will not be ‘lol’ when they read a report that lacks proper punctuation and grammar, has numerous misspellings, various made-up words, and silly acronyms.»^[12][13] Fondiller and Nerone in their style manual assert that «professional or business communication should never be careless or poorly constructed» whether one is writing an electronic mail message or an article for publication, and warn against the use of smileys and abbreviations, stating that they are «no more than e-mail slang and have no place in business communication».^[14]

Linguist John McWhorter stated, «Lol is being used in a particular way. It’s a marker of empathy. It’s a marker of accommodation. We linguists call things like that pragmatic particles…» Pragmatic particles are the words and phrases utilized to alleviate the awkward areas in casual conversation, such as oh in «Oh, I don’t know» and uh when someone is thinking of something to say. McWhorter stated that lol is utilized less as a reaction to something that is hilarious, but rather as a way to lighten the conversation.^[19]

Frank Yunker and Stephen Barry, in a study of online courses and how they can be improved through podcasting, have found that these slang terms, and emoticons as well, are «often misunderstood» by students and are «difficult to decipher» unless their meanings are explained in advance. They single out the example of «ROFL» as not obviously being the abbreviation of «rolling on the floor laughing» (emphasis added).^[15] Matt Haig singles out LOL as one of the three most popular initialisms in Internet slang, alongside BFN^{[dubious – discuss]} («bye for now») and IMHO («in my honest/humble opinion»). He describes the various initialisms of Internet slang as convenient, but warns that «as ever more obscure acronyms emerge they can also be rather confusing».^[1] Hossein Bidgoli likewise states that these initialisms «save keystrokes for the sender but […] might make comprehension of the message more difficult for the receiver» and that «[s]lang may hold different meanings and lead to misunderstandings especially in international settings»; he advises that they be used «only when you are sure that the other person knows the meaning».^[20]

Tim Shortis observes that ROFL is a means of «annotating text with stage directions».^[8] Peter Hershock, in discussing these terms in the context of performative utterances, points out the difference between telling someone that one is laughing out loud and actually laughing out loud: «The latter response is a straightforward action. The former is a self-reflexive representation of an action: I not only do something but also show you that I am doing it. Or indeed, I may not actually laugh out loud but may use the locution ‘LOL’ to communicate my appreciation of your attempt at humor.»^[7]

David Crystal notes that use of LOL is not necessarily genuine, just as the use of smiley faces or grins is not necessarily genuine, posing the rhetorical question «How many people are actually ‘laughing out loud’ when they send LOL?».^[21] Louis Franzini concurs, stating that there is as yet no research that has determined the percentage of people who are actually laughing out loud when they write LOL.^[2]

Victoria Clarke, in her analysis of telnet talkers, states that capitalization is important when people write LOL, and that «a user who types LOL may well be laughing louder than one who types lol«, and opines that «these standard expressions of laughter are losing force through overuse».^[22] Michael Egan describes LOL, ROFL, and other initialisms as helpful so long as they are not overused. He recommends against their use in business correspondence because the recipient may not be aware of their meanings, and because in general neither they nor emoticons are in his view appropriate in such correspondence.^[3] June Hines Moore shares that view.^[23] So, too, does Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts, who gives the same advice of not using them in business correspondence, «or you won’t be LOL».^[24]

Acceptance

On March 24, 2011, LOL, along with other acronyms, was formally recognized in an update of the Oxford English Dictionary.^[16][25] In their research, it was determined that the earliest recorded use of LOL as an initialism was for «little old lady» in the 1960s.^[26] They also discovered that the oldest written record of the use of LOL in the contemporary meaning of «Laughing Out Loud» was from a message typed by Wayne Pearson in the 1980s, from the archives of Usenet.^[27]

Gabriella Coleman references «lulz» extensively in her anthropological studies of Anonymous.^[28][29]

A 2003 study of college students by Naomi Baron found that the use of these initialisms in computer-mediated communication (CMC), specifically in instant messaging, was actually lower than she had expected. The students «used few abbreviations, acronyms, and emoticons». Out of 2,185 transmissions, there were 90 initialisms in total;^[30] 76 were occurrences of LOL.^[31]

LOL, ROFL, and other initialisms have crossed from computer-mediated communication to face-to-face communication. David Crystal—likening the introduction of LOL, ROFL, and others into spoken language in magnitude to the revolution of Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of movable type in the 15th century—states that this is «a brand new variety of language evolving», invented by young people within five years, that «extend[s] the range of the language, the expressiveness [and] the richness of the language».^[32][30] However Geoffrey K. Pullum argues that even if interjections such as LOL and ROFL were to become very common in spoken English, their «total effect on language» would be «utterly trivial».^[33]

Variations on the theme

Variants

• lul: phonetic spelling of LOL. «LUL» is also commonly used in the gaming community, due to it being an emote on Twitch, which depicts game critic TotalBiscuit laughing.
• lolz: Occasionally used in place of LOL.
• lulz: Often used to denote laughter at someone who is the victim of a prank, or a reason for performing an action. Its use originated with Internet trolls. According to a New York Times article about Internet trolling, «lulz means the joy of disrupting another’s emotional equilibrium.»^[34] Can be used as a noun – e.g. «do it for the lulz.», shortened into «ftlulz» (to distinguish it from «ftl» – «for the loss»). See also LulzSec.
• LOLOLOL…: For added emphasis, LOL can be appended with any number of additional iterations of «OL». In cases such as these, the abbreviation is not to be read literally (i.e., «Laughing out loud out loud out loud out loud»), but is meant to suggest several LOLs in a row.
• OMEGALUL and LULW: variants of «LUL» used as a Twitch emote.^[35][36]
• trolololol or trollololol: A blend of troll and LOL iterated. Indicates that the prank or joke was made by internet trolls, or the user thinks the prank or joke qualifies as internet trolling. See also Mr. Trololo.

Derivations

• (to) LOL: Used as a verb («to laugh out loud») and is meant to be conjugated in the appropriate tense. When the past tense is meant, it is written as «LOL(e)d» or «LOL’d».
• lolwut (sometimes «lulwut»): lol + wut, used to indicate bemused laughter, or confusion.
• lawl, lawlz, or lal: Pseudo-pronunciation of LOL. Saying «lawl» is sometimes meant in mockery of those who use the term LOL, and is not meant to express laughter.
• Lel or LEL is a «playful or ironic» variation of LOL.^[37] It is sometimes thought to be an initialism, standing for «laughing extremely loud» or «laughing extra loud», but this has been disputed.^[38]
• lolcat, an image macro of a cat

• *G* or *g*: For «grins».^[39] Like «lulz» it is used in the initialism «J4G» («just for grins»).^[40]
• kek: A term for laughter that originated in online games, possibly either World of Warcraft or StarCraft, the latter in which Korean players would type «kekeke» as onomatopoeia for laughter.^[41] It later became associated with alt-right politics,^[42] in the form of a parody religion surrounding the character Pepe the Frog by analogy with the frog-headed ancient Egyptian god Kek.^[43]
• LMAO: For «laughing my ass off».^[5] Variants: LMBO («Laughing my butt off»),^[44] LMFAO («Laughing my fucking ass off»).
• lqtm: For «Laughing quietly to myself».^[45]
• ROFL: For «rolling on the floor laughing». It is often combined with LMAO for added emphasis as ROFLMAO («Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off») or ROFLMFAO (Rolling on the floor laughing my fucking ass off).^[46]
• roflcopter: A portmanteau of ROFL and helicopter. A popular glitch in the Microsoft Sam text-to-speech engine enables the voice to make a sound akin to the rotation of rotor blades when ‘SOI’ is entered, and the phrase ‘My ROFLcopter goes soi soi soi…» is often associated with the term as a result.
• PMSL: For «pissing myself laughing».

Commonly used equivalents in other languages

In some languages with a non-Latin script, the abbreviation LOL itself is also often transliterated. See for example Arabic لول and Russian лол.^{[citation needed]}

Pre-dating the Internet and phone texting by a century, the way to express laughter in morse code is «hi hi». The sound of this in morse (‘di-di-di-dit di-dit, di-di-di-dit di-dit’) is thought to represent chuckling.^[47][48]

Most of these variants are usually found in lowercase.

• 555: the Thai variation of LOL. «5» in Thai is pronounced «ha», three of them being «hahaha».
• asg: Swedish abbreviation of the term asgarv, meaning intense laughter.
• g: Danish abbreviation of the word griner, which means «laughing» in Danish.^[49]
• ha3: Malaysian variation of LOL. ha3 means pronouncing ha three times, «hahaha».
• jajajá: in Spanish, the letter «j» is pronounced /x/.^[50]
• jejeje: in the Philippines is used to represent «hehehe». «j» in Filipino languages is pronounced as /h/, derived from the Spanish /x/. Its origins can be traced to SMS language. It is widely used in a Filipino youth subculture known as Jejemons.^[51][52]
• kkkk: in Somali and Ethiopian languages spoken in the Horn of Africa, iterations of the letter «k», usually ranging between 2 and 8 k’s, are used as a variation of LOL. These iterations are also used by Shona, Ndebele and other Zimbabwean languages speakers, with the longer variant being «kikiki» (emulating a laughing sound).
• mdr: Esperanto version, from the initials of multe da ridoj, which translates to «lot of laughs» in English.
• mdr: French version, from the initials of «mort de rire» which roughly translated means «died of laughter», although many French people also use LOL instead as it is the most widely used on the internet.^[53][54]
• mkm: in Afghanistan «mkm» (being an abbreviation of the phrase «ma khanda mikonom»). This is a Dari phrase that means «I am laughing».
• ptdr: French variant from pété de rire – literally meaning «broken with laughter»
• rs: in Brazil «rs» (being an abbreviation of «risos», the plural of «laugh») is often used in text based communications in situations where in English LOL would be used, repeating it («rsrsrsrsrs») is often done to express longer laughter or laughing harder. Also popular is «kkk» (which can also be repeated indefinitely), due to the pronunciation of the letter k in Portuguese sounding similar to the ca in card, and therefore representing the laugh «cacacacaca» (also similar to the Hebrew version above).^[55]
• wkwkwk: in Indonesian, «wkwkwk» is often used to express laughter. A new variant, «Akwoakwoak» or «Awkwoakwoak» is often used beside the original version. Both the original and the new variant are derived from the sound of Donald Duck laughing, something like «Wakakaka».
• חחח/ההה: Hebrew version of LOL. The letter ח is pronounced [/x/ /x/] and ה is pronounced [/h/ /h/]. Putting them together (usually three or more in a row) makes the word khakhakha or hahaha (since vowels in Hebrew are generally not written), which is in many languages regarded as the sound of laughter.
• ههههه: Arabic script repetition of the «ه» character meaning «Hahahaha» or «Hehehehe». «ه» is equivalent to the letter «H». The equivalents of the «a» or «e» short vowels are Arabic diacritics and are optional to write.
• ㅋㅋㅋ («kkk» or «kekeke»)^[41] and ㅎㅎㅎ («hhh») are usually used to indicate laughter in Korean. ‘ㅋ’, is a Korean Jamo consonant representing a «k» sound, and ‘ㅎ‘ represents an «h» sound. Both «ㅋㅋㅋ» and «ㅎㅎㅎ» represent laughter which is not very loud. However, if a vowel symbol is written, louder laughter is implied: 하하 «haha» 호호, «hoho.»^[56]
• 哈哈哈/呵呵呵: in Chinese. Although 大笑 (da xiao; «big laugh») is used, a more widespread usage is «哈哈哈» (ha ha ha) or «呵呵呵» (he he) on internet forums. The phonetic rendering, «haha», is also common.
• (笑): in Japanese, the kanji for laugh, is used in the same way as lol. It can be read as kakko warai (literally «parentheses laugh») or just wara. w is also used as an abbreviation, and it is common for multiple w to be chained together.^[57] The resulting shape formed from multiple w leads to the usage of 草 (read as kusa), due to its resemblance to the shape of grass.
• ліл («li’l», «leel») is a Ukrainian variant of LOL. Originally it was a parody for Mykola Azarov language, so called «azirivka», in which all «o»s are replaced with «i».

The word «lol« in other languages

• In Dutch, lol is a word (not an acronym) which, coincidentally, means «fun» («lollig» means «funny»).
• In Welsh, lol means «nonsense» or «ridiculous»  – e.g., if a person wanted to say «utter nonsense» in Welsh, they would say «lol wirion» or «rwtsh lol».^[58]

See also

• Internet meme
• Leet

References

Further reading

• Connery, Brian A. (February 25, 1997). «IMHO: Authority and egalitarian rhetoric in the virtual coffeehouse». In Porter, D. (ed.). Internet Culture. New York: Routledge. pp. 161–179. ISBN 0-415-91684-4.
• Russ Armadillo Coffman (January 17, 1990). «smilies collection». Newsgroup: rec.humor. Retrieved December 22, 2006.—an early Usenet posting of a folk dictionary of abbreviations and emoticons, listing LOL and ROTFL
• Ryan Goudelocke (August 2004). Credibility and Authority on Internet Message Boards (M.M.C. thesis). Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. doi:10.31390/gradschool_theses.3190.
• Claim to first use.

External links

Main LOL Meaning Takeaways:

• Nowadays, LOL means “laugh out loud,” not “lots of love.”
• Respond with LOL to show that you think something is really funny.
• LOL is usually stronger than a simple “ha” or “haha.”
• You mostly see LOL in online conversations like texts, chats, and on social media.
• LOL can be a verb or an interjection.
• There are no capitalization rules for LOL.
• LMAO, LOLZ, hehe, haha, and the crying face emoji ? are alternatives to LOL.
• Even though it’s an official word, it’s more appropriate for casual conversations and not formal settings.

LOL is a social media and text message staple. It’s also one of the most used expressions in this Digital Age. Ever wondered why? We’ll break down the LOL meaning, including when it is okay to use it in your conversations and when it’s not.

What Does LOL Mean in a Text?

LOL stands for “laugh out loud.” It means that the person found something so funny that it made them laugh out loud. Even if you don’t literally laugh out loud, you can still use LOL to show that you think something is particularly funny or amusing. It’s considered text speak or textese because it usually only appears in digital communications. For example, this acronym is popular in social media posts and text messages. Because LOL is a slang term, its appropriate for casual conversation and not formal settings. Grammatically, LOL is classified as a verb and an interjection, or a word that expresses strong emotion.

Most often, LOL is something you see in writing and don’t say. But, some say LOL out loud sarcastically or when making fun.

LOL is often pronounced by spelling out the letters. When you say LOL aloud, it sounds like el-oh-el. Some people also say loll. This pronunciation has a long ‘o,’ and it rhymes with poll and troll.

What is the Meaning of the Word LOL?

The meaning of LOL is laugh out loud or laughing out loud. This word is a verb and an interjection, meaning it’s often used to show the action of laughing out loud or to show a strong emotion. LOL is appropriate for casual conversations online or in text messages. Use this abbreviation when you find something funny. Even if you just smile or giggle, you can still use LOL. Nobody expects you to laugh out loud when you say LOL, but it’s okay if you do.

It’s important to note that even though LOL is an official word, it’s not usually appropriate for many professional or educational settings.

What’s more, some might also use LOL in a passive-aggressive way. More and that a bit later.

Can LOL Mean Lots of Love?

The most common meaning of LOL is laugh out loud. When you use LOL, the majority of people will understand it to mean laugh out loud and not lots of love. Less common uses of LOL include lots of love and lots of luck. However, these two uses might be considered old-fashioned or outdated. To avoid a misunderstanding or seeming sarcastic, we recommend only using LOL to mean laugh out loud or laughing out loud.

How to Look Good When you use LOL

• When you find something mildly amusing to outright hilarious, use LOL.
• Since there are no capitalization rules, feel free to write lol in all lowercase letters, LOL in all uppercase letters, or LoL in a mix of the two.
• You might add one or a few crying face emojis ?. Or, replace LOL with emojis all together.

Another option is to type LOL multiple times when you find something hilarious.

When to Use LOL

Usually, you use LOL in response to something. This might be in text message to a friend or loved one. Or, as a comment on a social media post.

Here are some situations when responding with LOL is appropriate:

• Viewing a funny meme
• Reading a joke
• Watching a funny video
• Reading a silly story
• Seeing a funny photo

Just make sure you use LOL during appropriate times. When a boss or client says something funny, you may prefer to respond with “haha.” You can also reply with a sentence, such as “That’s funny.”

LOL is generally not appropriate for more formal settings like at work or at school.

Here are some situations when textese is appropriate:

1. Texts between friends or family members
2. Online forums
3. Social media posts
4. Chat rooms
5. Blog posts for an informal audience

How to Capitalize LOL

There are no hard grammar rules for the capitalization of LOL. Since it’s an acronym, it’s traditionally represented in all caps.

However, it’s mostly used in informal context. This means you’ll most likely see it written in lowercase letters as lol or as a mix of upper and lowercase as Lol.

When something is particularly hilarious, many add extra letters to make varieties like Lolz or LOLLLL.

All of these capitalization approaches are acceptable:

• LOL
• Lol
• lol

You can also add extra letters to LOL. Some people do this to show they find something hilarious.

• LOLLLLLLLLL
• LOOOOOOOL
• lololol
• LOLZ

LOLZ also expresses sarcasm, but some texters use it when they are genuinely amused.

Sarcastic LOLing and LOLZ

Some people also use LOL to be passive-aggressive. For example, you might see this kind of sarcastic LOL when someone makes a self-deprecating comment or bashes an ex.

You can also respond with LOL when someone makes a ridiculous request.

Technically, LOLZ is more appropriate than LOL when using sarcasm. LOLZ was created for this purpose. However, many people still prefer to use the traditional version of the word.

What can I use Instead of LOL?

Some LOL alternatives include LMAO, or laughing my ass off. Another is LMFAO, which stands for laughing my f**cking ass off . These two can be a little stronger than LOL and are definitely not appropriate for formal settings. A more PG version is LMBO, or laughing my butt off. Other LOL alternatives are haha and hehe. The funnier you find something, the more letters you can add, as in hahahahaha or hehehehehe. Similarly, you could just forget words all together and go with one or multiple crying laughing emojis ??.

1. LMAO

This means “laughing my ass off.”

PG Version: If you are uncomfortable using profanity, type “LMBO” instead. It means “laughing my butt off.”

Check our in-depth post about LMAO meaning.

2. LMFAO

This option is the same as LMAO, but with the f-word.

PG Version: LMFBO is a cleaner term that can mean “laughing my freaking butt off.”

3. KEK*

Some gamers say “KEK” when they find something funny. KEK is the Korean translation for LOL. The acronym often appears in World of Warcraft and other online games.

*But, be careful when you use this one. In recent years, the meaning has changed from an LOL alternative to a political statement. As a result, it’s taken on a negative connotation.

This is because some started to associate it with a popular Internet conspiracy. It’s also been associated with Alt-Right politics.

Armed with this knowledge of laughing with letters, you’re now free to respond to all jokes, memes, and videos confidently conveying the appropriate reaction. You don’t have to laugh out loud to use this acronym.

Ready to use LOL Like a Pro? Test your Skills With a Quick Quiz

Read More: LMAO Meaning And Uses

Other terms relating to ‘laughing’:
�	Laughing Big Smile
� :L	Laughing
� ALOL	Actually Laughing Out Loud
� BAGL	Bust A Gut Laughing
� CBLTH	Can’t Breathe Laughing Too Hard
� CREASING	Laughing
� CSL	Can’t stop laughing
� DOFL	Dying On Floor Laughing
� FOCL	Falling Off Chair Laughing
� FOFL	Falling On Floor Laughing
� FOMCL	Falling Off My Chair Laughing
� HAFL	Heart Attack From Laughing
� IAL	I Ain’t Laughing I Actually Laughed
� ICSL	I Couldn’t/Can’t Stop Laughing
� KML	Killing Myself Laughing
� KMSL	Killing Myself Laughing
� L2MS	Laughing To Myself
� LAL	Laughing A Lot/Little
� LALB	Laughing A Little Bit
� LATM	Laughing At The Moment
� LAU	Laughing At You
� LBS	Laughing But Serious Pounds (weight)
� LBVS	Laughing But Very Serious
� LHH	Laughing Hella Hard
� LI	Laughing Inside
� LIMB	Laughing In My Brain
� LIMH	Laughing In My Head
� LIMM	Laughing In My Mind
� LIRL	Laughing In Real Life
� LIS	Laughing In Silence
� LLH	Laughing Like Hell
� LMCO	Laughing My Cats Off
� LMHO	Laughing My Head Off
� LMPO	Laughing My Pants Off
� LMSO	Laughing My Socks Off
� LOI	Laughing On the Inside
� LOL.	Laughing Out Loud
� LOLING	The act of laughing out loud
� LOLOL	Lots Of Laughing Out Loud
� LOOL	Laughing Outlandishly Out Loud
� LOTI	Laughing On The Inside
� LOVL	Laughing Out Very Loud
� LQI	Laughing Quietly Inside
� LQL	Laughing Quite Loudly
� LQTM	Laughing Quietly To Myself
� LQTMS	Laughing Quietly To Myself
� LQTY	Laughing Quietly To Yourself
� LRL	Laughing Really Loud
� LSH	Laughing So Hard
� LSHIC	Laughing So Hard I’m Crying
� LSHIDMT	Laughing So Hard I Drop My Taco
� LSHMBH	Laughing So Hard My Belly Hurts
� LSMIH	Laughing So Much It Hurts
� LSTM	Laughing Silently To Myself
� LTM	Laughing To Myself
� LTMQ	Laughing To Myself Quietly
� LTMS	Laughing To Myself
� LWP	Laughing With Passion
� NLM	No Laughing Matter
� NOZ	Nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
� OTFL	On The Floor Laughing
� PIMPL	Pee In My Pants Laughing
� QL	Cool Quietly Laughing
� RAWL	Roll Around While Laughing
� ROFL	Rolling On Floor Laughing
� ROFLH	Rolling On Floor Laughing Histsrically
� ROFLMFAO	<— Click To View
� ROFLOL	Rolling On Floor, Laughing Out Loud
� ROLF	Rolling On Laughing Floor
� ROTF	Rolling On The Floor (laughing is implied)
� ROTFL	Rolling On The Floor Laughing
� ROTFLOL	Rolling On The Floor Laughing Out Loud
� ROTGL	Rolling On The Ground Laughing
� SLOL	Seriously Laughing Out Loud
� SMHL	Shaking My Head Laughing
� TLOL	Truly Laughing Out Loud
� TOL	Thinking Out Loud Thinking Of Laughing
� WKWKWKW	imitating laughing sounds in Indonesia, it is shortened form of ‘wakakakaka’ whi
Other terms relating to ‘loud’:
� 11	One louder than 10
� 4COL	For Crying Out Loud
� 5 BY 5	Loud and clear, fine
� 5X5	Loud and Clear
� ALOL	Actually Laughing Out Loud
� BLOL	Big Laugh Out Loud
� CLOUD	The Internet (non-local storage, software etc)
� CLOUD 9	Feeling of euphoria, high
� COL	Crying Out Loud
� ELOL	Evil Laugh Out Loud
� FCOL	For Crying Out Loud
� GOL	Giggle Out Loud
� JTOL	Just Thinking Out Loud
� LL	Laugh Loudly, LOL
� LM	Loud Mouth
� LOL.	Laughing Out Loud
� LOLING	The act of laughing out loud
� LOLL	Laugh Out Loud Literally
� LOLOL	Lots Of Laughing Out Loud
� LOLZ	Laugh Out Loud (with sarcasm)
� LOOL	Laughing Outlandishly Out Loud
� LORL	Laugh Out Really Loud
� LOUD	Good quality marijuana
� LOVL	Laughing Out Very Loud
� LQL	Laughing Quite Loudly
� LRL	Laughing Really Loud
� ROFLOL	Rolling On Floor, Laughing Out Loud
� ROTFLOL	Rolling On The Floor Laughing Out Loud
� SLOL	Seriously Laughing Out Loud
� TLOL	Truly Laughing Out Loud
� TOL	Thinking Out Loud Thinking Of Laughing

English

Alternative forms

• (laughing out loud) lol, lawl, lel, lul
• (lots of laughs) lols, LOLS
• (light-heartedness) lolsies, LOLsies, lolzies
• (?) lulz

Etymology

Apparently coined by Canadian Wayne Pearson in the early-to-mid 1980s^[1][2] and first attested in 1989.^[1][3]

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɛl.əʊˈɛl/, /lɒl/, /lɔːl/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ɛl.oʊˈɛl/, /lɔl/, /lɑl/, /loʊl/
• Rhymes: -ɛl, -ɒl, -ɔːl

Interjection

LOL

1. (Internet slang, text messaging) Laughing (or laugh) out loud.
2. (Internet slang, text messaging) Lots of laughs. (occasionally used)
3. (Internet slang, text messaging, by dilution) Indicates light-heartedness or amusement, or that the accompanying statement is not intended as serious.
4. (letter-writing, dated) Lots of love.

   • 2002 November 29, Me Here, “Latest Rugby Poll.”, in nz.general, Usenet:

     SHEESH !!!! ¶ LOL (Laugh out loud) &&&& ¶ LOL (Lots of love, coz I’m a sharing caring kinda gal) ¶ Nikki

   • 2007, Adam Gopnik, Through the Children’s Gate, →ISBN:

     Explaining how much I hated being away from him for another weekend, how I had to do it to pay for his school, for our life. Heartfelt, heart-full, I signed it «LOL, Dad.». Then a pause. And I see appearing on my screen these words. «Dad: what exactly do you think LOL means?» «Lots of Love, obviously,» I replied.

   • 2010, Keturah Wasler, Box of Chocolates: Piece from My Heart, →ISBN, page 20:

     The answer is in Job 40:7 to the end of the chapter, and 2 tim 2:11 thru 2:21. LOL, Dad Miscommunication: I was thinking he was laughing he didn’t tell that was not true. An on-looker said he may mean lots of love. I asked and he didn’t answer but he hugged me the next time he saw me for two seconds. Progress not perfection.

   • 2011, Rhonda K. Kindig, Found in Translation, →ISBN, page 105:

     John 21:15, 16,17 Back in the fifties, when I used to write childish letters in long-hand to my grandmothers, I would delight in closing with LOL, by which I intended the sentiment «Lots of Love»! This was followed by «XOXOXOXO», which, of course, was hugs and kisses.

   • 2014 May 28, Stuart Heritage, “25 years of LOL – the good and bad bits”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     One of the most famous examples of this misunderstanding came to prominence three years ago, thanks to a screengrab of this text message sent by a mother to her son: «Your great aunt just passed away. LOL«.

Usage notes

Typically, lowercase «lol» is used for the diluted sense of the word (to indicate light-heartedness), while uppercase «LOL» is used more literally.

Especially the lowercase lol is sometimes reduplicated, in such a manner as «lololol», «lolololol», etc. for further emphasis on the laughter.

Translations

Verb

LOL (third-person singular simple present LOLs, present participle LOLing, simple past and past participle LOLed or LOLd or LOL’d)

1. (Internet slang, text messaging) To laugh out loud.

Noun

LOL (plural LOLs)

1. (US, British commonwealth, Ireland) Loyal Orange Lodge, a prefix given to all branches of the Loyal Orange Order. For example, LOL 1 is Portadown branch.
2. (informal, sometimes derogatory) Little old lady.

   • 2018, Jeanne Marie Laskas, To Obama, With love, joy, hate and despair, →ISBN, page 29:

     Then he started with his LOLs. The Little Old Ladies who needed help with daily chores.

See also

References

• [3] UK house of commons discussing a Loyal Orange Lodge.

Anagrams

• LLO, OLL

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English LOL.

Interjection

LOL

1. (Internet slang, text messaging) LOL (expression of laughter)

Alternative forms

• lol
• lål (rare)

References

• “LOL” in Den Danske Ordbog

Portuguese

Interjection

LOL

1. (Internet slang, text messaging) LOL

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:LOL.