Kevin
April 16, 2021
Common Questions
Have you ever wondered what the acronym TIL stands for? This article will provide you with all of the info you need on the abbreviation TIL, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!
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According to Merriam-Webster Unabridged English Dictionary and other dictionary apps, the abbreviation til, or ‘til, is a shortened form of the word until. The word until is a preposition that is used to indicate something’s continuance until a specified time, or to mean the same thing as the word before. This word could be used to say that you are going to do something until a certain time or achievement, for example, “I am going to ride my bike until I go fifty miles.” It can also be used to mean before, in the example, “the trains do not start running until 9:00AM.” Using til instead of until is a casual way of abbreviating the term. One could easily say, “I’m going to go on a run til I have to get ready for work,” or “the shop doesn’t close til ten, I think we can still make it.” This abbreviated form of until is considered very casual, and should not be used in formal writing.
The abbreviation TIL can also be used as an internet acronym to stand for “today I learned,” according to Cambridge Dictionary. This slang term is often used on social media before someone shares information that they have just learned. This could either be used sarcastically to express something that the person should have known long before, or it can be used genuinely to share fun facts that other people might not know either. This phr internet slang term is popular on the forum website Reddit.
According to The Free Dictionary, the abbreviation TIL can also stand for a plethora of other different meanings. However, these are far less common than using TIL as an acronym to mean “today I learned” or as an abbreviation for the word until. If you plan on using one of these secondary definitions of TIL, make sure that you provide proper context to whoever you are sending the acronym to so that they will be able to infer the meaning from said context clues.
There are many different words and phrases that one can use in place of the word til, used as an abbreviation for the word until. One might choose to use a synonym, which is a word or phrase that has the same definition as another word or phrase, to make themselves sound more formal or professional, to avoid repeating themselves, or simply to work on expanding their vocabulary. This list of synonyms for til is provided by Thesaurus.
TIL can be used in a couple of different ways in different circumstances since it has two different meanings. The first meaning is “today I learned.” In the below example, the acronym TIL will be used to stand for “today I learned.” Here, Jason shares a fun fact with his friend Maia.
Jason: Maia, guess what.
Maia: What’s up?
Jason: TIL the person who invented the famous Nike swoosh was only paid $35 for it and doesn’t get any money from their design. Isn’t that insane?
Maia: OMG what?! That can’t be legal.
Jason: I guess it is!
Here, Jason uses the acronym TIL to stand for today I learned. Then, he shares a fact he has just learned with Maia. In this next example, Maia and Jason will both use the abbreviation til in place of the word until.
Maia: Hey! What’s up, are you busy?
Jason: Ugh, yeah, I’m at theater rehearsal til six tonight. Why, what’s going on?
Maia: Ah, bummer! I was going to see if you wanted to work on this calculus homework together. It’s killing me.
Jason: I could after rehearsal!
Maia: I have cross country practice six til eight. Some other time! We should study for the exam on a night we’re both free.
Jason: Absolutely!
Here, Jason and Maia both use the abbreviation til to mean until in order to describe how loong they are at their various after school activities. The abbreviation til is very useful in creating speedy replies, both when it is short for until and when it stands for “today I learned.” TIL can be used in a plethora of different ways in any number of casual sentences. Try using it yourself today!
Overall, TIL can either be used as an acronym for the phrase “today I learned,” which is a popular internet slang term used on sites like Reddit, or it can be used as an abbreviation for the word until. Both of these meanings are considered very casual, and should not be used in formal or professional contexts. In said contexts, simply use the full form of the word or acronym.
