What Does VM Mean In Texting? (Answered!)

VM most commonly stands for “voice mail” in texting. It’s a shorthand way of talking about your voice messages. It can have a couple of other meanings but in texting, this is by far the most common. “Can you call me when you get a chance? I left you a VM” for example.

VM is fairly straightforward as texting abbreviations go, then. It just means voice mail in the vast majority of cases, barring a couple of niche meanings that may sometimes be used.

It should be pretty simple to interpret, even today when voicemail is more and more becoming a thing of the past!

Let’s find out more.

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What does VM stand for in texting?

VM usually stands for “voice mail” in texting.

Given the waning popularity of phone calls in general nowadays, many of the younger generation may not even be completely familiar with what a voice mail is.

When you call someone and they don’t answer, you can leave a recorded voice message to ask them to call you back or tell them what you wanted to tell them.

They can then listen to that voice message when they get to it.

So, there is a number of reasons why someone might talk about VM in a text message. “I’ve left you ten VMs, please call me back!” for example.

In the past, turning on your phone and seeing that you had ten missed calls and voicemails from your parents while you were out meant you were probably in big trouble!

On the other hand, you could use it to let someone else know you’ve tried calling someone. “Have you heard from James? I left him a VM hours ago,” for example.

People very much do still use voicemail, if less than they used to, so it’s still a useful abbreviation as of right now.

The term can have other meanings, but they are not anywhere near as common as this one. If someone says VM to you and you’re not sure what they meant, try seeing if “voicemail” fits and makes sense in the sentence. If it does, that’s probably what they meant!

So, where did this come from?

Where does VM come from in texting?

Voicemail was a thing long before texting, of course.

You used to have a separate answering machine to record messages on physical cassette tapes, but it did exist for landline phones.

So, by the time texting came around, it was virtually a universal feature of mobile phones from the get-go.

In the earliest days of texting, virtually everyone was using an alphanumeric keyboard—as opposed to the QWERTY convenience we all enjoy today.

That meant typing out anything took longer and was a lot more tedious.

So, pretty much anything and everything that could be shortened was shortened.

While we don’t know for sure where and when the particular abbreviation “VM” got started, it was clearly sometime in the earliest days of texting.

It was in use by the late 1990s, so it was probably sometime early on in the 1990s, then.

How do you respond to VM?

How might you respond if someone talks to you about VM, then?

Well, as usual, it depends quite heavily on the context. It might not really need a response at all.

There’s no formula for how to respond to this since, on its own, it’s simply a noun.

But let’s take an example. Say someone texts you asking: “Did you get my VM?” for example.

You would respond by listening to it if you haven’t already, and responding to whatever they said. It’s really that simple!

Don’t think too much into it. There’s probably a very specific request at work if someone has left you an actual voicemail, here in the 21^st Century!

What does VM mean on social media?

VM can have a couple of other meanings on social media, where it’s less likely to mean voicemail.

Some on social media use it as shorthand for “vocal majority,” which means literally just a majority of people on a particular issue who like to speak up about their views.

This meaning certainly has the widest application on social media, where people may have limited characters and are more likely to be talking about wider social issues.

What else does VM mean?

But can it mean anything else?

There are one or two other things that it can mean, yes. It can mean “virtual madness”, a rather niche term that is used in a couple of different ways.

It basically means that you’re spending too much time online or in video games and it’s making you a bit mad.

One other thing it can mean is shorthand for the stage play, the Vagina Monologues.

Obviously, this is extremely niche, but relates to one other supposed meaning: “vagina marksman”.

This one is not very widely used, so I’ll let you figure out its meaning on your own!

So, as you can see, there may be other meanings.

However, it’s very unlikely that this means anything other than “voice mail” in most cases. It can have other senses, but these are, as you’ve likely gathered, niche to say the least.

VM is becoming used less and less now as there is less and less utility for leaving a voicemail since we can all text each other, but this abbreviation is still in use.

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Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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