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

This guide will give you all of the knowledge you need on the abbreviation TBC, including its meaning, usage, synonyms, sentence examples, and more!

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What does the abbreviation TBC stand for?

According to Cyber Definitions, the most common meaning of the acronym TBC is “to be continued.” This is used when some conversation, action, or event is not yet finished, and there is more to come after a break or pause. This is most often seen in between cliffhanger television episodes, but could also be used to pause a conversation. According to Longman English Dictionary, the phrase to be continued is used at the end of a story or to tell others that something has not finished yet.

The second most common definition of TBC is “to be confirmed,” according to Urban Dictionary. Similarly to “to be continued,” “to be confirmed” means that some details or dates are not finalized and they will be finalized at a later date or time.

According to The Free Dictionary and Acronym Finder, there are also a plethora of other meanings for the acronym TBC. These are far less common than to be continued to to be confirmed, and should be used sparingly. One should make sure the context is clear when using one of these secondary definitions, because unless one is abundantly clear, one may assume the user means to be continued or to be confirmed.

  • Tweak Block Chaining
  • Trailing Bit Complement
  • Trek Bicycle Corporation (various locations)
  • The Banana Convention (band)
  • Telephone Banking Center (various locations)
  • Top Back Curb (zoning)
  • Texas Baseball Club
  • Television Broadcasting Corporation
  • Two-Beam Coupling
  • The Beginning Chronicles
  • Tweakable Block Cipher
  • Teen Bible Challenge
  • Two Buck Chuck (Charles Shaw wines)
  • Thermal Bypass Checklist (US EPA)
  • The Burning Crusade (gaming; World of Warcraft)
  • Tactical Battlefield Communications
  • Trial by Declaration (California)
  • Tangible Base Capital
  • Tissue Box Cover (various companies)
  • Token Bus Controller
  • Telebit Communication
  • To Be Created
  • Thermal Barrier Coating
  • Trailer Brake Control (automotive system)
  • To Be Completed
  • The Big Cheese
  • Transparent Boundary Condition (algorithm)
  • The Business Connection (various locations)
  • Tert-Butyl Catechol (chemistry)
  • Tuberculosis
  • To Be Considered
  • Time-Base Corrector
  • To Be Cancelled
  • The Boeing Company
  • Technology-Based Company (generic term)
  • Transport and Border Crossing (UN)
  • Turn-Based Combat (video game option)
  • Technical Business Consultant
  • The Business Channel (PBS)
  • To Be Contested (sport competitions)
  • The Beloved Community (various locations)
  • The Black Company (gaming clan)
  • Triratna Buddhist Order
  • Turner Broadcasting Corporation
  • Time-Based Competition
  • Total Bacteria Count
  • Texas Bicycle Coalition
  • Taxonomy Boot Camp
  • The Breakfast Club (1985 movie)
  • Template Based Classification
  • Therion Biologics Corporation
  • Toilet Bowl Cleaner
  • Television Bureau of Canada
  • The Basement Crew (gaming)
  • Texas Biotechnology Corporation
  • Theater Business Clearance (US Army)
  • The Balloon Council
  • Transportation Bill Code

What are synonyms for the acronym TBC?

Since TBC has two common meanings, this would mean that it has two separate sets of synonyms. There are also two similar acronyms to TBC: TBA, which means to be announced, and TBD, which means to be determined.

Below are many different synonyms for the phrase to be continued, from Thesaurus.

  • in the making
  • unassembled
  • uncompleted
  • unconcluded
  • under construction
  • unfinished
  • bare
  • incomplete
  • unadorned
  • fragmentary
  • half-baked
  • half-done
  • cut short
  • not done
  • undone
  • unexecuted
  • unfashioned
  • unperfected
  • unpolished
  • Unrefined

There are also a plethora of synonyms for the term “to be confirmed,” which are also listed below from Thesaurus.

  • unconfirmed
  • tentative
  • dependent
  • iffy
  • Indefinite
  • speculative
  • subject to change
  • temporary
  • makeshift
  • not final
  • unsettled
  • acting
  • test
  • trial
  • undecided
  • ad interim
  • Conjectural
  • provisional
  • Provisionary
  • not settled
  • on trial
  • open for consideration
  • probationary
  • contingent
  • provisory

How can the acronym TBC be used in a sentence?

The acronym TBC can be used in a variety of different ways. TBC can stand for to be continued, or to be confirmed in casual conversation where slang terms and casual acronyms are appropriate. In this first example, the acronym TBC will be used to stand for “to be continued.” In this example, Elsie and Anne are close friends and coworkers talking about the conversation Elsie had with her boyfriend.

Elsie: Basically, he yelled, I yelled. He refused to apologize for cheating on me, I refused to apologize for going silent on him. We kind of left it at a stand-still, so TBC I guess.

Anne: TBC?! This guy cheated on you multiple times, doesn’t feel bad about it, and you’re still TBC?! Break up with him, he isn’t worth it!

Elsie: I know. You’re right. It’s just hard because it feels like we’ve built this whole life together and now it’s just… over.

Anne: Trust me, you’ll find someone way better than that loser.

Here, Elsie uses TBC to describe her relationship status, and Anne uses it to show her incredulity. In the next example, Elsie and Anne are talking about a meeting that both of their bosses are going to.

Anne: Hey, I’m struggling to get an update from the assistant at that other company for that meeting tomorrow. Have you heard anything? He went total radio silence on me.

Elsie: Nope, still TBC. I’ve emailed, called, the works. I’m going to tell my boss that we can’t get an answer from him.

Anne: I’ll do the same.  

Overall, the abbreviation TBC is considered a slang term for the phrases “to be continued” or “to be confirmed.” Both of these phrases are used when something is yet to be ended, whether that thing is a story, action, event, or date. The acronym TBC can be used to stand for a great many more things, but these are far less common and are rarely used. This internet slang is frequently seen on social media, or in text messaging.

Sources:

  1. https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/to-be-continued
  2. https://www.cyberdefinitions.com/definitions/TBC.html
  3. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tbc
  4. https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/TBC
  5. https://www.acronymfinder.com/TBC.html#:~:text=To%20Be%20Confirmed,Tissue%20Box%20Cover%20(various%20companies)
  6. https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/unconfirmed
  7. https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/unfinished