The Meaning of CYA: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of CYA? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the abbreviation CYA, including its definition, usage, origin, and more!

Your writing, at its best

Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant

What does CYA stand for?

According to Cyber Definitions, the abbreviation CYA stands for “see ya.” This slang is also sometimes spelled “c ya.” This slang term is commonly used on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites as a salutation and goodbye. The sender is wishing goodbye to the person they are speaking with. This is considered in the category of text speak and is a slang word or shorthand used in online chat, on a web site, in a chat conversation, and as a common way to with part of the farewell to someone. This is not appropriate to use in formal communications.

According to The Free Dictionary, the abbreviation CYA also has a plethora of different meanings outside of see ya. While these are all still valid definitions, they are far less common and should be used sparingly to eliminate any confusion. If you do plan to use one of these different definitions for the acronym CYA, ensure that you are providing the reader or listener with the proper context to be able to decipher your intended meaning. This should be standard practice with any acronym that can have more than one definition.

  •  College/Young Adult (ministry)
  •  Classic Yacht Association
  •  Cyanuric Acid (chlorine stabilizer,  like sunscreen for chlorine)
  •  Cuban Yoga Association
  •  Catch You Afterwards
  •  Canadian Yachting Association
  •  Carclew Youth Arts (Australia)
  •  Cover Your Ass (possible subsequent criticism or repercussions, legal penalties)
  •  Change Your Attitude
  •  Cover Your Assets
  •  Cy Young Award (ML Baseball Award for Pitching)
  •  Committee of Young Artists (Mississauga Arts Council)
  •  Cyclosporine A (immunosuppressant)
  •  Cumbria Youth Alliance (UK)
  •  Call Your Attorney
  •  Company of Young Artists (Youth Musical Theater Group, Fullerton College, CA)
  •  Carry Your Ass
  •  Challenge Your Assumptions
  •  California Youth Authority
  •  Christian Youth Association
  •  Canadian Youth Assembly (est. 2008)
  •  Cover Your Answer(s)
  •  Chantilly Youth Association (Chantilly, VA)
  •  College Year in Athens (Greece; study abroad program)
  •  Can You Articulate

What are other common slang terms?

There are many different slang terms that can be used in text messaging or on the internet. While these may seem daunting at first, with this list from Zip Whip, you will be texting like a pro in no time!

  •  PPL: People
  •  DIY: Do it yourself
  •  BTW: By the way
  •  YOLO: You only live once
  •  TFW: That feeling when
  •  JK: Just kidding
  •  GR8: Great
  •  JSYK: Just so you know
  •  HIFW: How I feel when
  •  COB: Close of business
  •  IMO: In my opinion
  •  DM: Direct message
  •  TBF: To be frank
  •  CYT: See you tomorrow
  •  NGL: Not gonna lie
  •  QAP: Quick as possible
  •  DIKY: Do I know you?
  •  OFC: Of course
  •  Sus: Suspicious
  •  IDK: I don’t know
  •  Bae: Before anyone else
  •  G2G: Got to go
  •  NTH: Nice to have
  •  MFW: My face when
  •  MRW: My reaction when
  •  Tea: Gossip, drama
  •  OMG: Oh my god/gosh
  •  SFLR: Sorry for late reply
  •  OML: Oh my lord
  •  SRSLY: Seriously
  •  Yeet: To throw something or used as an exclamation
  •  FOMO: Fear of missing out
  •  V: Very
  •  OTOH: On the other hand
  •  BFF: Best friends forever
  •  WFH: Work from home
  •  NVM: Never mind
  •  WDYM: What do you mean?
  •  HMU: Hit me up
  •  FTFY: Fixed that for you
  •  FWIW: For what it’s worth
  •  YMMV: Your mileage may vary
  •  BBL: Be back later
  •  NBD: No big deal
  •  TTYL: Talk to you later
  •  BDAY: Birthday
  •  KMN: Kill me know
  •  TGIF: Thank goodness/god it’s Friday
  •  Bestie: a best friend or term of endearment
  •  TL;DR: Too long, don’t/didn’t read
  •  POV: Point of view
  •  MSG: Message
  •  QOTD: Quote of the day
  •  SO: Significant other
  •  F2F: Face to face
  •  FTW: For the win
  •  OOTD: Outfit of the day
  •  EOD: End of day
  •  IYKYK: If you know you know
  •  BRB: Be right back
  •  Finna: going to, intending to
  •  ASAP: As soon as possible
  •  AKA: Also known as
  •  SNMP: So not my problem
  •  TBC: To be continued
  •  AMA: Ask me anything
  •  ATM: At the moment
  •  IRL: In real life
  •  TTP: To the point
  •  IIRC: If I recall correctly
  •  BC or B/C: Because
  •  OMW: On my way
  •  RN: Right now
  •  IKR: I know, right
  •  FYI: For your information
  •  ICYMI: In case you missed it
  •  ISTG: I swear to god
  •  SMH: Shaking my head
  •  B4N: Bye for now
  •  AMAA: Ask me almost anything
  •  WYWH: Wish you were here
  •  ROFL: Rolling on floor laughing
  •  OOO: Out of office
  •  IMHO: In my humble/honest opinion
  •  TIA: Thanks in advance
  •  W/O: Without
  •  TBD: To be determined or to be decided
  •  THX: Thanks
  •  ILY: I love you
  •  YGTI: You get the idea
  •  NP: No problem
  •  IFYP: I feel your pain
  •  HTH: Hope this helps
  •  AFAIK: As far as I know
  •  LMK: Let me know
  •  JIC: Just in case
  •  IG: Instagram
  •  TIL: Today I learned
  •  TYT: Take your time
  •  YP: Yes please
  •  LOL: Laughing out loud
  •  TY: Thank you
  •  TBA: To be announced
  •  IDC: I don’t care
  •  HBU: How about you?
  •  TBH: To be honest
  •  DAE: Does any else
  •  TMI: Too much information
  •  PNL: Peace & love

What are synonyms of CYA?

There are many different words that can be used in place of the abbreviation CYA. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that mean the same thing or have the sem definition as another word or phrase. Synonyms are useful to know if you are looking to expand your vocabulary or if you want to avoid repeating yourself. The below list of synonyms for the word CYA is provided by Power Thesaurus

  •  adios
  •  toodle-oo
  •  see you tomorrow
  •  buh-bye
  •  good day
  •  godspeed
  •  vale
  •  arrivederci
  •  farewell
  •  see you
  •  goodbye
  •  catch you later
  •  aloha
  •  bye
  •  do svidanya
  •  toodles
  •  do svidaniya
  •  hasta la vista, baby
  •  tatty bye
  •  cya
  •  take care
  •  adieu
  •  toodle pip
  •  see you soon
  •  smell ya later
  •  bye-bye
  •  ttyl
  •  cheerio
  •  have a nice day
  •  sayonara
  •  good-bye
  •  ta ta
  •  laters
  •  cheers
  •  later
  •  au revoir
  •  talk to you later
  •  ciao
  •  ta-ta
  •  cheery-bye
  •  hasta la vista
  •  chur
  •  smell you later
  •  bcnu
  •  good bye
  •  take it easy
  •  so long
  •  see you later
  •  peace out
  •  see you after

Overall, the abbreviation CYA means see ya. This is a popular internet slang term.

Sources:

  1. 110 Texting Acronyms, Abbreviations and Slang to Know | Zip Whip 
  2. CYA – What does CYA stand for? | The Free Dictionary 
  3. See Ya synonyms – 207 Words and Phrases for See Ya | Power Thesaurus 
  4. CYA | What Does CYA Mean? | Cyber Definitions