Did you receive a message recently with the word “LMAO”? Or maybe you heard someone say it in person? Find out what this acronym means and how to use it.
Laugh my A ** Off
LMAO means “to make fun of me.” Used when you want to show that you’re laughing a lot, like a funny message or a meme. For example, if you receive a funny video, you can answer “LMAO” or combine it with a sentence like “This is a merry lmao.”
It is closely related to two other abbreviations, LOL and ROFL, which means “loud laughter” and “rolling on the floor with laughter”. Many perceive ROFL more intensely and louder than LOL and about as expressively as ROFL.
History of the LMAO
LMAO can be traced back to the early 1990s, coinciding with the advent of Internet messaging services such as IRC or bulletin boards. The first definition of LMAO in the Urban Dictionary was created in June 2002, much earlier than the other initializations we covered. On the other hand, the first record for LMFAO is from 2003.
The acronym eventually became common in every part of the Internet, especially as instant messaging and SMS applications gained in popularity. Today, lmao is part of the dictionary of the average internet user.
Varianty LMAO
Equally popular with LMAO is LMFAO, which means “laughing at my damn ass” or “laughing at my damn ass.” These two abbreviations are used interchangeably and have similar popularity. On the other hand, some people, especially younger Internet users, use the term “laughs at me” to avoid the pejorative in the original initialism.
Another variation is when it combines with another internet slang term ROFL to form ROFLMAO, which means “roll on the floor, laugh at me.” You would use it when there is something incredibly cheerful and it is worth writing all those letters.
Like other abbreviations expressing laughter, the uppercase and lowercase letters of the LMAO differ slightly in meaning. LMAO tends to express more noisy, hysterical laughter, while lmao expresses laughter or little laughter. You can also find many people who use the lowercase “lmao” in an SMS as an additional word that is added before or after sentences and phrases.
LMAO in culture
Due to their popularity, there are many memes and pop culture trends that use LMAO and its variants.
The most popular of these is a meme from 2016 called “Ayy LMAO”. This image macro displayed an image of an alien with the text “ayy lmao” below it for humorous effect. Due to the popularity of meme, this phrase has become widely used. To this day, many people say “ayy lmao” out loud to express excitement or interest in something.
For a moment, he called himself a viral act by an acronym. LMFAO was an electronic dance duo that operated from 2006 to 2012, roughly coinciding with the entry of this concept into pop culture. The band released “Party Rock Anthem”, which became one of the best-selling songs of all time.
LMAO also entered colloquial speech, with many people saying “lmao” when they found something funny instead of laughing. The word is usually pronounced “la mao” or something similar.
How to use LMAO
If you want to use LMAO or LMFAO for yourself, use it whenever you want to laugh. It can be alone or can be combined with other expressions of laughter, such as gifs or emojis. Because the acronym is relatively informal, you should not use it in professional communications or e-mails. Keep in face-to-face conversations, such as those with your friends.
Here are some ways you can use LMAO:
- “LMAO, did you see the guy tripping over a banana peel?”
- “It’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen, lmao.”
- “LMFAO, not really!”
- “Dude, your shirt is lmfao back.”
Are you interested in the meaning of other internet abbreviations? Take a look at our pieces on TBH, FTFY and ITT.