What Does BMF Mean In Texting? (Find Out!)

BMF can mean a few things in texting, but most commonly means “be my friend”. It can also be used to mean “bad mother****er”, a usage popularized by Tarantino’s cult classic Pulp Fiction from 1994. Alternatively, it can mean “be mine forever” in texting. These are its most common meanings.

BMF does have a few meanings, then, but from context, it should generally be quite clear which is the intended meaning.

It’s been in use in some form or another for quite a long time in text and internet speech.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What does BMF stand for in texting?

BMF can stand for a few different things in texting.

Most commonly, and in its original usage, it meant “be my friend”.

This was what it started out as meaning in the early days of text abbreviations, and was generally its agreed upon meaning more or less universally.

There are various contexts in which it might have been used, such as asking someone for forgiveness.

“I’m sorry for what I did. Please BMF,” for example.

A similar meaning to this that seems to have arisen out of this original meaning is “be mine forever”.

There were unsurprisingly many forms of affectionate abbreviations like this.

This one is something you would say to a partner indicating you want to be with them forever. “I love you so much, BMF,” for example.

One other thing it has had for a while but has only recently been broadly popularized is “bad mother****er”.

As I said, this has mostly been popularized by the 1994 film Pulp Fiction, where a character carries a wallet with this phrase written on it. “I look like a BMF today,” for example.

It’s meant as a compliment, I should point out. It’s a good thing, paradoxically to be BMF.

However, this really has only recently come to be its meaning, and it isn’t a text abbreviation as such.

That said, today, it’s probably becoming more common than the older meaning of “be my friend”. It just depends on the context.

Where did BMF come from?

So, where did these various versions of the abbreviation BMF originate?

Let’s start with the original, text abbreviations.

We don’t know exactly when they were first used—the early days of mobile phones and the internet were an absolute hotbed for these kinds of new terms.

With texting in particular, long phrases would frequently be shortened simply due to the tedium of typing on an alphanumeric keyboard.

“Be my friend” is thought to have originated in chat rooms, where people might not know each other personally, and so you would reach out to people in this way.

This would have been sometime in the late 90s or early 2000s.

Similarly, “be mine forever” seems to have developed at roughly the same time.

There were a great many abbreviations like this related to expressions of deep love and affection.

It was a quick way for partners to send a heartfelt and loving message to one another while they were apart.

Again, it was also used in chatrooms, too; so it’s not impossible it originated there.

The online dating scene opened up as soon as the internet did, so these kinds of abbreviations arose very early on.

What does BMF mean on social media?

Today, on social media, BMF is probably not all that likely to mean “be my friend” or “be mine forever”.

Most of these kinds of abbreviations have gone out of fashion, you might say.

People just don’t tend to converse with one another like that anymore.

On social media today, then, BMF is more likely to have the meaning of “bad mother****er”. But what exactly does this mean?

Well, as I said, it’s meant as a compliment and definitely not an insult, though it might sound like one!

Some have argued it was originally part of AAVE—African American Vernacular English.

Calling someone a bad mother****er is a way of saying they’re looking really good in AAVE, and it was indeed a black character played by Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction who owned the wallet.

As you can expect, this would have much wider application on social media than “be my friend” or “be mine forever” would ever have had.

It’s used to compliment your friends on your posts, or even just to gas yourself up when posting with a caption. “Feeling like a BMF in this fit!” for example.

Where is this most commonly used today, then?

What does BMF mean on TikTok?

TikTok is the modern hotbed for a great many trends, and as far as we can tell, this is where the resurgence of “BMF” meaning bad mother****er has originated.

It’s being widely used to compliment people on their style, attitude, personality, or just anything you like about them.

So, if you see BMF used on TikTok, you can rest assured it almost definitely has this meaning.

Unsurprisingly, though, this trend has spread to other social medias, and so for the most part this is becoming the dominant meaning of the term.

BMF is a slightly varied term, then, though there are really only a couple of core meanings.

It’s got some polite and some less polite meanings, and it can certainly be a bit confusing if you aren’t sure of what it could mean.

You can usually rely on it meaning either “be my friend” or “bad mother****er” on modern social media or in texting.

More in Texting Meanings

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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