lol meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

lol

particlealso spelled LOL

Internet Neutralises the tone of a message; denotes that a message is light-hearted or casual.

Are you really that bad lol?
For example, Duncan said, one unsealed document shows an Instagram employee calling the app a “drug” and another employee saying, “lol, we’re basically pushers”.2026 January 27, Dara Kerr, “Tech giants head to landmark US trial over social media addiction claims”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

Derived terms: lolcat, lolfan, lollercoaster, lollerskates, lolly, lolsies, lolspeak, LOLWUT

LOL

intj

UK /ɛl.əʊˈɛl/ · CA, US /ɛl.oʊˈɛl/

Etymology Acronym of laugh(ing) out loud, apparently coined by Canadian Wayne Pearson in the early-to-mid 1980s and first attested in 1989.

Internet Laughing (or laugh) out loud.

I just saw the video where he opens the door and gets the surprise! LOL!
Bro got milk spilt over his head! LOL!

Internet Lots of laughs. (occasionally used)

I love the one where he orders a cup of tea but then chaos ensues! LOL!

Internet, Figuratively Indicates light-heartedness or amusement, or that the accompanying statement is not intended as serious; sometimes extends to irony or sardonicism, in the same way that spoken humor sometimes does. Often now a discourse marker independent of laughter.

I hope you weren't expecting a welcome wagon, LOL.
In the course of managing your expectations, you'll need to account for the usual amount of pettiness and dishonesty among your fellow humans lol.

1 more example

And if you're sad about someone, something that was fun once is now really painful. So it sorta started out as "L-O-L, you're getting water in my mouth".2024 January 11, 9:49 from the start, in Does Kristen Stewart Know Her Lines From Her Most Famous Movies?, spoken by Kristen Stewart:

Dated Lots of love.

P.S.: Give my regards to Elizabeth and to the children! LOL!
SHEESH !!!! ¶ LOL (Laugh out loud) &&&& ¶ LOL (Lots of love, coz I'm a sharing caring kinda gal) ¶ Nikki2002 November 29, Me Here, “Latest Rugby Poll.”, in nz.general (Usenet):

4 more examples

Explaining how much I hated being away from him for another weekend, how I had to do it to pay for his school, for our life. Heartfelt, heart-full, I signed it "LOL, Dad.". Then a pause. And I see appearing on my screen these words. "Dad: what exactly do you think LOL means?" "Lots of Love, obviously," I replied.2007, Adam Gopnik, Through the Children's Gate, →ISBN:
The answer is in Job 40:7 to the end of the chapter, and 2 tim 2:11 thru 2:21. LOL, Dad Miscommunication: I was thinking he was laughing he didn't tell that was not true. An on-looker said he may mean lots of love. I asked and he didn't answer but he hugged me the next time he saw me for two seconds. Progress not perfection.2010, Keturah Wasler, Box of Chocolates: Piece from My Heart, →ISBN, page 20:
John 21:15, 16,17 Back in the fifties, when I used to write childish letters in long-hand to my grandmothers, I would delight in closing with LOL, by which I intended the sentiment "Lots of Love"! This was followed by "XOXOXOXO", which, of course, was hugs and kisses.2011, Rhonda K. Kindig, Found in Translation, →ISBN, page 105:
One of the most famous examples of this misunderstanding came to prominence three years ago, thanks to a screengrab of this text message sent by a mother to her son: "Your great aunt just passed away. LOL".2014 May 28, Stuart Heritage, “25 years of LOL – the good and bad bits”, in The Guardian:

LOL

verb

Etymology Acronym of laugh(ing) out loud, apparently coined by Canadian Wayne Pearson in the early-to-mid 1980s and first attested in 1989.

Internet To laugh out loud.

LOL

noun

Etymology Acronym of laugh(ing) out loud, apparently coined by Canadian Wayne Pearson in the early-to-mid 1980s and first attested in 1989.

Commonwealth, Ireland, US Loyal Orange Lodge, a prefix given to all branches of the Loyal Orange Order. For example, LOL 1 is Portadown branch.

Derogatory, Informal, Sometimes Little old lady.

We've got an LOL in the emergency department who seems a bit confused.
L.O.L.: little old lady. (Oddly, there is no male equivalent.) / N.A.D.: no apparent distress. The classic description of a patient in a state of well-being: L.O.L. in N.A.D.2001 May 13, Sheilendr Khipple, “Word for Word/Hospital Lingo; What's a Bed Plug? An L.O.L. in N.A.D.”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 21 Mar 2018:

1 more example

Then he started with his LOLs. The Little Old Ladies who needed help with daily chores.2018, Jeanne Marie Laskas, To Obama, With love, joy, hate and despair, →ISBN, page 29:

An instance of the interjection "LOL".

YouTube comments are rough. They dabble in all forms of trolling, bullying, racism, sexism and other offensive -isms, interspersed with endless spurts of nonsensical chatter. Any thoughtful comments are typically lost in a roiling sea of “LOLs,” insults and spam.2013 September 24, Heather Kelly, “YouTube tries to fix its comments”, in CNN:

lol

intj

Archaic Used in song as a nonsense syllable.

And all the way to Dublin, whack fol lol le rah!19th c., D. K. Gavan, “Rocky Road to Dublin”:

Related terms: ice lol, tol-lol

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for lol and LOL.