Kevin
March 12, 2021
Common Questions
Do you know what the slang term LMBO means? This article will provide you with all of the knowledge you need on the abbreviation LMBO, including its definition, synonyms, usage, useful examples, and more!
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According to Urban Dictionary and 7 E S L, the acronym LMBO stands for “laughing my butt off.” This is a variation on the popular social media slang term acronym LMAO, which stands for “Laughing My A**” off. Since LMBO is less vulgar than LMAO, people tend to use this in contexts where being very clean is important. If someone was texting a parent or grandparent that did not approve of using curse words, one might opt to use the acronym LMBO over LMAO. The acronyms LMAO and LMBO probably stem from the original and still-trending internet slang term LOL, which stands for “laughing out loud.” LMAO and LMBO are considered stronger than LOL, and were likely invented in order to show when someone thought something was extremely funny. Using slang acronyms became popular in the 1990s when internet chat rooms, message boards, and instant messaging rose to popularity. These abbreviations were also useful in the early days of text messaging because many text messages had word or character limits, as well as the limitations of only being able to type using number keys.
According to The Free Dictionary and Acronym Finder, the abbreviation LMBO also has a few other alternate meanings. These, however, are far less common than laughing my butt off. If one plans to use one of these alternate meanings, they should ensure that the context is abundantly clear. Otherwise, one will likely assume that the person means “laughing my butt off” – you certainly wouldn’t want “Last Mountain Bird Observatory” to be mistaken for that!
The abbreviation LMBO is frequently used in many conversations via SMS text message or on social media sites like Twitter or Instagram. This acronym is often used to react to something that someone finds funny or humorous. In this first example, Lindsey and Lara are talking about what happened at their sleepover the previous weekend.
Lindsey: OMG, I’m still LMBO about Janie’s karaoke performance. It was so good and so funny!
Lara: IKR! We have to have another sleepover soon. I haven’t had that much fun in a very long time. Plus, we have to get these sleepovers in while we can! When we’re in college next year we won’t be able to have these anymore.
Lindsey: But just think, when we’re in college, it will be like having a sleepover every night with our roommates!
Lara: So true! Plus it will just mean we’ll have to make up for our lack of sleepovers over winter break.
Here, Lindsey uses LMBO to refer to the fact that they thought their mutual friend’s karaoke performance was funny. In this next example, Lindsey went to a stand-up comedy show and is telling Lara all about it.
Lindsey: I’ll be honest, the openers were a total snooze. I almost left. But once the headliner came out, I was LMBO! She was hilarious! It made me want to try stand up comedy but I’m way too shy.
Lara: OMG, you totally should! I think when you move for college you should start because then you won’t feel as self conscious. No one in town will know you, it’s not like you have to worry about people from school thinking you’re bad.
Lindsey: You’re right!
There are many different words and phrases that one can use to express laughter. Some of these are also internet acronyms, but some are simply synonyms for the word laugh. A synonym is a word or phrase that has the same definition as another word. People might choose to use synonyms to change the formality of a word, to avoid repeating a word they have already used, or to expand their vocabulary. The below list of synonyms for LMBO is from Thesaurus.
The abbreviation LMBO is a very casual word and should never be used in professional or formal contexts. While it is considered a clean acronym because none of the words stand for curse words, it would not be appropriate to use this abbreviation in a professional business email, in a letter, or in any other professional or formal setting. It is safe to assume that if LOL would be too informal, or any other texting acronym like OMG or BRB, it would also be inappropriate to use LMBO.
Overall, the abbreviation LMBO stands for laughing my butt off. This trending internet slang acronym is used as a clean version of LMAO, which stands for “laughing my a** off.” One might choose to use the acronym LMBO in a casual conversation in which it is inappropriate to use curse words. LMBO is one of many different ways to express laughter via text and is often seen in text messaging as well as on social media.
