What Does LMAO Mean In Texting? (Explained!)

LMAO stands for “laughing my ass off” in texting. It’s a universally used way of saying that something is very funny. It’s a more intense version of “lol”, just meaning that something is very funny. There are many ways and senses it can be used, but it always means, in some way, something is funny.

LMAO is one of the oldest and most widely used slang terms, both on the internet and in texting.

While many people might use it in subtly different ways, it always has the sense of something being hysterically funny.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What does LMAO stand for in texting?

LMAO stands for laughing my ass off in texting.

It’s a way of saying that something is extremely funny, and that you are laughing so much and so hard you might somehow laugh until your butt falls off.

This, of course, isn’t possible—but let’s look past that for now!

The best way of seeing this term is as a somewhat more intense version of “lol”.

While this depends on the person, lol usually is more casual, whereas lmao means something is quite a bit funnier.

“I can’t believe you said that to him, LMAO!” for example.

It indicates that you found something funny, whether you are laughing now or you were done laughing ten minutes ago.

It’s very often used just as a standalone response to something, as well. If someone told a joke or said something funny, you might just respond “LMAO”.

So, it can have this simple sense of just something being very funny.

It can have other senses, too, subtly different though still essentially meaning the same thing.

Often, on social media, LMAO is a way of indicating that something funny or bad is about to happen on a wide scale, or simply that someone has made a fool of themselves in some way.

In any case, if someone says LMAO directly to you, then they are likely just saying that something is funny and agreeing with you.

The important subtlety is that LMAO means something is very, very funny, whereas LOL perhaps only implies something is humorous but not actually funny—not, ironically, in a way that would make you literally laugh out loud.

Where does LMAO come from, then?

Where does LMAO come from?

We can see quite clearly that LMAO was in common use in the early 1990s, and it simply took off from there.

Some stories say that during a particular game of Dungeons and Dragons, played online, one player said LMAO after a character said they want something particularly funny for lunch.

I won’t bore you with all the D&D lore necessary to understand the joke.

Just know that this was way back in 1990, so it’s possible the term is as much as three decades old by this point.

Either way, if this story is apocryphal or not, LMAO is one of the most fundamental, bedrock terms of internet slang.

But that doesn’t mean that everyone uses it—so what’s the best way to respond if someone says LMAO to you?

How do you respond to LMAO?

It really depends on the context.

A lot of the time, you don’t necessarily need to respond with anything to LMAO.

If someone simply says LMAO on its own, they are saying they found what you said funny, and you can respond however you like!

Continue the conversation on this topic or change it to something else.

On the other hand, you might just respond with emojis or another term to indicate you are still laughing.

If someone says it to you based on what they said, though, you might just also respond by saying you found it funny in some way—maybe even by just returning the LMAO!

Are lmao and LMAO different?

Of course, in terms of the words they signify, no, LMAO and lmao are not different.

They both mean the same thing.

However, many people take capital letters as a sign of intensity, meaning that if someone says LMAO where they would usually just say lmao, they are indicating that they found what you said extremely funny.

This isn’t always the case, though.

Some people tend to either never use capitals, in which case “lmao” could have all the same impact as LMAO for those people.

For others, though, they draw a clear line.

You’ll only know how this person feels about it by getting to know them and understanding their speech patterns!

What does LMAO mean on Roblox?

LMAO is very often used on Roblox, too, and you’ll be glad to hear it means the same thing.

Roblox is a great example of how this internet and texting slang has spread to every corner of modern slang.

Roblox, the online multiplayer game, makes great use of the term LMAO when someone says or does something funny.

Most players are quite familiar with the term, so it does get used a lot on Roblox.

Where ever you are, then, texting a friend or playing an online game, LMAO means laughing my ass off.

It means something is so funny that you think your ass might come off—if such a thing could really happen!

As I say, the precise tone in which it is meant may be different for different people and different situations, but in one way or another, the person is telling you that something is very funny.

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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