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

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

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What does DL stand for?

According to Urban Dictionary, the abbreviation DL stands for down low. This is a shorthand term used in text messaging when something is to be kept a secret. The meaning of the DL is to keep a secret – if someone told you something and told you to keep it on the DL, this means not to tell anyone.

According to The Free Dictionary, the abbreviation DL also has a plethora of different related abbreviations aside from down low. 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 DL, 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. Use the full form or full meaning of DL if you are unsure. Meanings of the slang term vary.

  •  Devils Lake (North Dakota)
  •  Description Logic
  •  Demarcation Line
  •  Delta Airlines
  •  Disabled List (sports)
  •  Depot Level
  •  Light Destroyer
  •  District Leader (LDS church)
  •  Detachment Leader
  •  Designated Laboratory
  •  Darlington (UK postal code)
  •  Diabolik Lovers (gaming)
  •  Defect Level
  •  Decilitre
  •  Diagonal Loading (beamforming)
  •  Danger List
  •  Distinguished Lecturer (various organizations)
  •  Dolby Laboratories
  •  Dark Lord (gaming)
  •  Dark Legacy (game roleplaying MUD)
  •  Def Leppard (band)
  •  Dreadlord (gaming)
  •  Detroit Lakes (Minnesota)
  •  Division Leader
  •  Destroyer Leader (variant of the destroyer type of warship)
  •  Educational Delay
  •  Deputy Lieutenant (British county official)
  •  Démocratie Libérale (French: liberal democracy politics)
  •  Data List
  •  Design Limits
  •  Direct Link
  •  Deadline
  •  Deadlock
  •  Distributed Learning
  •  Deficiency List
  •  Distribution License
  •  Doing Laundry
  •  Dynamic Load
  •  Dexter’s Laboratory (cartoon show)
  •  Diesel Locomotive (automobile)
  •  Decreto-Lei (decree-law)
  •  Demi Lovato (actress/singer)
  •  Dark Lich (game character)
  •  Den Leader (Boy Scouts of America)
  •  Democratic Left (UK)
  •  Design Language
  •  General Counsel (DCAA)
  •  Dag Locking
  •  Distribution List
  •  Dial Line
  •  Data Link
  •  Deciliter (tenth of liter, metric unit of volume)
  •  Design Layout
  •  Died Laughing
  •  Donegal (Irieland)
  •  David Lipscomb University (Nashville, Tennessee)
  •  Dead Load
  •  Disneyland
  •  Drum Line
  •  Dead Lift (weight lifting)
  •  Daresbury Laboratory (UK)
  •  Detection Limit
  •  Derogatory Label
  •  Double-Layer
  •  De Luxe
  •  Dyslexia
  •  Dragon’s Lair (video game)
  •  Document List
  •  Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
  •  Don’t Lie
  •  Dalai Lama
  •  Daylight
  •  Distance Learning
  •  Dorsolumbar
  •  Discharge Line
  •  Datalife (backup tape)
  •  Defensive Line (football)
  •  Department of Labour
  •  Dale
  •  Document Log
  •  Definition List (HTML)
  •  Digital Library
  •  Data Language
  •  Direct Loan
  •  Dimension Lengthwise (envelope format)
  •  Dreadlock
  •  Dead Link
  •  D-Limonene
  •  Diaper Lover (fetish)
  •  Deal Load
  •  Darklight
  •  Duelist League (game)
  •  Designated Loser (sports)
  •  Dark Lotus (band)
  •  Direct Labor
  •  Down Link
  •  Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad
  •  Data Discrepancy List
  •  Direct Line
  •  Download (computer program electronics, i.e. downloaded file)
  •  Demonstrated Logistician
  •  Duckworth-Lewis (mathematical formulation; cricket)
  •  Deep Learning
  •  Diploma di Laurea (Italian: Degree)
  •  Diffraction Limited
  •  Demokratische Linke
  •  Disciplinary Leave
  •  Decaliter
  •  Drum Lifter (industrial tool)
  •  Deficiency Log
  •  Dreadlands (Everquest game)
  •  Drivers License
  •  Delay Line (electronic schematics)
  •  Dissipative Loss
  •  Diode Logic
  •  Down (Stage) Left
  •  Detroit Lions
  •  Diplôme de Langue (French: Diploma in Language)

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 difficult to learn at first, with this list from Zip Whip, you will be texting like a pro in no time!

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

Overall, the abbreviation DL means down low. This means secret.

Sources:

  1. 110 Texting Acronyms, Abbreviations and Slang to Know | Zip Whip 
  2. DL | Urban Dictionary 
  3. DL – What does DL stand for? | The Free DictionaryÂ