LMAO Text Meaning: What Does LMAO Stand For

Lmao is a popular internet slang mostly used by the 90’s kids and millennials. It is one of many familiar words used in instant chatting, text messaging, and social media conversations. If you don’t speak the internet language, then you must have wondered what does lmao meaning. It can be embarrassing when someone, possibly a generation younger, writes lmao at your joke and you don’t know what to write back

Today we are going to share every detail of the word lmao, and its usage in the modern world LMAO, LOL, ROFL, ROFLMAO are same candy in different wrappers. They all mean the same. But these words have separate applications in a sentence. In this article, we will also discuss the applications of this abbreviation in a word. But first things first, let us know the true meaning of lmao and a brief history of this word, how it came into existence.

Table of Contents

Meaning of LMAO

The word lmao means Laughing My Ass Off. It is used to signify something hilarious. Lmao is the stronger version of LOL or Laughing Out Loud. If you find a rich content online, you can express your liking by merely typing the word lmao.

In the present world, Gen-Y loves to interact with each other in these kinds of abbreviations. These words not only reduces typing efforts but also makes one look cool. However, for the older generation, these short forms can be a painstaking experience if you are not familiar with these words you have to search for them and have to remember for future references. That is a lot of work for someone who loves to write a conventional form of English.

History of LMAO

Lmao, maybe a new word but we are metaphorically verbing different parts of our body off for at least one and a half-century. In the late 1840s, famous novelist Charles Dickens wrote a letter to his close friend Thomas Mitton. I am quoting a small portion of that letter.

“I have made a great many erasures and mistakes in this short space, but I have nearly written my head off this morning and am dismally stupid.”

Here we can see self decapitation was a common dialect for expressing something extreme of nature. In that century, British people were self-decapitating in a high number and imaginative ways like smoking, laughing, screaming their heads off.

One more example of this dialect came from the great Mark Twain’s ‘A Burlesque Autobiography and, First Romance’ novel where he wrote and I quote.

“a beautiful, beautiful hand. And he could imitate anybody’s hand so closely that it was enough to make a person laugh his head off to see it.”

So the abbreviated version may be brought by the 90’s kids, but the actual terminology dates back to the 18th century Britain.

There have been some doubts who used the term lmao first. One source tells that The first documented use of the term lmao was during the early ’90s in an online game named Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. Here Torquin, a male ranger, typed lmao! When Sayaka, a female monk suggested Daldin, a dwarf fighter to get some hijiki for lunch. It’s a joke, but I guess you have to play the game to understand it.

While another source suggests that it was first used by a New Zealander nicknamed “Sarndra” in the ’90s, he/she used both LMAOO and LMAOOO. When asked by other users, his/her reply was, and I quote.

“Laff my arse off and off…depending on how many o’s there are 😉 according to how humourous I find things.”

So as you can see, the English language has traveled quite a bit in the last two centuries. From a Dickens’ letter to a famous internet slang, lmao has made some journey. Now let us present to you some usage of lmao.

Usage of LMAO

The usage of lmao should be restricted to informal social media conversations or instant messaging apps. Using it in a formal discussion like the one with your boss or clients should be avoided unless you have a warm and friendly relationship with them. Also shouting lmao after a joke in a face to face conversation can be viewed as weird. So you should steer clear of it in real-life conversations.

You can write lmao in both upper and lowercase. Writing in uppercase denotes a more formal approach. According to the English language rules, any abbreviation should be written in uppercase with dots in between each letter. So if you want to be grammatically correct, then you should write like this “L.M.A.O.” However, that is so old fashioned, and the said word is anything but old fashioned. So it is best to use is in lowercase in a more casual manner. After all, these abbreviations should be fun elements of a casual chatting.

Different Variations of LMAO

Over time, a few versions of lmao has appeared on the internet. They all mean nearly the same as lmao but with a little twist. Let us give a brief overview of some variations.

LMFAO

Lmfao or laughing my fucking ass off is a variation of lmao which is more intense than the actual one. It should never be used in a formal conversation or with minors. Lmfao came into existence in the early 2000s when a user nicknamed “Hd_1278” coined the term in an online role-playing game. Since then, this slang has been very common among netizen.

LMAOO

Lmaoo is abbreviated form of laughing my ass off and off. It is an extended form of lmao. When something is so funny that lmao is not enough to express the laughter, you can use lmaoo. As I earlier told this term has been coined by a certain New Zealander.

LMAOOO

This is the most extreme variant of lmao. Full form of it is laughing my ass off and off and off. More O’s signifies a more laughable content. Like lmaoo, it is also conceived by New Zealander’ Sarndra’. You can use it in place of lmao but don’t overuse it.

LMBO

Lmbo or laughing my butts off is a somewhat sophisticated version of lmao. Some people prefer calling it butt, not an ass. Those kinds of people usually use lmbo.

Also, know the meaning of other abbreviations like TBT, BRB, ROFL.

Use of LMAO in text conversations

After knowing so much about lmao, you must be wondering how to use it in a text conversation. Here is an example.

Tom: Listen, guys, I have an amusing story I want to share with you two. My son messed up with the alarm clock. He made it two hours early. When I realized, I already had my breakfast

Dick: lmao! This one is hilarious

Harry: That little guy made a fool of yourself.. lmao!

As you can see, lmao can be used at both the starting and ending of a sentence. Here are some more sentences with lmao in it

He peed in his pants, lmao!
See that joker lmao! He is trying to drive the car in reverse
Lmao! What have you done to yourself

Alternate Meaning of LMAO

Apart from laughing my ass off, lmao can be used to express other meanings also. Following are some of those not so popular expanded forms of lmao.

Laughing my anxiety off
Leave me alone, okay
Land mail art objects
Lick me all over
Let’s make another offer
Let me ask Obama (I guess this one is out of date by now)
Laughing my ankles off
Laughing my all out
Laughing my ass out
Love me at once

Synonyms of LMAO

If you don’t prefer to use lmao, there are lots of other alternatives to lmao that makes similar sense. Some of them you can use in a formal conversation also.

Laughing out loud
Rolling on the floor laughing
Rolling on the grass laughing
It cracks me up
This is hilarious
It is humorous
I couldn’t stop laughing
It made me laugh so hard
That is funny how
I burst into laughter
I nearly died of laughter
It was priceless

Example of LMAO Synonyms in Sentences

For every situation, there is an appropriate group of words that sounds exactly like lmao. We’re going to show you some examples

It is comical to see Brazil losing 7-1 to Germany in a Fifa World Cup semifinal
I saw him getting slipped on a banana peel and I burst into laughter
LOL! That is one huge mess you have created around
I nearly burst out laughing the moment I saw him in that funny top hat
There is something about your behavior that cracks me up
The moment he started telling me those sleazy jokes, I could not stop laughing
I am still ROLFed after that incident
It’s funny how after all these years we always remember him as a kid who pooped in his pants
It is humorous how he pronounces the word schedule
It was priceless to see the judges reacting after that sloppy performance

Other Essential Internet Slangs You Should Know

World Wide Web is full of abbreviations like lmao. If you are not familiar with them, then you would surely have a hard time chatting online. Here are some of the frequently used phrases and lingos

IYKWIM: If you know what I mean
BAE: Before anyone else
IMO: In my opinion
IDGAF: I don’t give a fuck
IRL: In real life
JSYK: Just so you know
MFW: My face when
NSFW: Not safe for work
TIL: Today I learned
YOLO: You only live once
4EAE: Forever and ever
B4N: Bye for now
BRB: Be right back
CUL: See you later
DND: Do not disturb
EOS: End of story
FWB: Friends with benefits
HBU: How about you
ICYMI: In case you missed it
LMK: Let me know
TYVM: Thank you very much
WYWH: Wish you were here
TGIF: Thank god it’s Friday
RBTL: Read between the lines
MYOB: Mind your own business

Finishing Up!

Knowing when you use jargons like lmao in your message is all about knowing your audience. If you know the other person, you are communicating with, well and it is an informal communication then it is absolutely ok to use words like lmao. However, if you are starting a personal or professional relationship with someone, then it is best to avoid abbreviation jargons at the initial stages unless you can make rapport very quickly.

After reading this article, I can assume your confusion about lmao has been cleared out. You now know what lmao stands for and how to use it in a conversation. From now on, feel free to use it whenever you like, of course in the context. If you want to know about any other abbreviation, write to us in the comment section. We would love to share more knowledge with you. Keep following this page for upcoming articles till then, goodbye.

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