Acronym: Meaning, Definition and Examples List (2024)

Acronyms are used almost every day; you just do not consciously identify them. They have become a part of our casual day-to-day conversations. Any idea what they are? Explore the article to learn the meaning and definition of an acronym. There is also a list of the most commonly used acronyms. Check them out as well.

Table of Contents

• What Is an Acronym? – Meaning and Definition
• Use of Acronyms
• List of Acronyms Examples
• Frequently Asked Questions on Acronyms

What Is an Acronym? – Meaning and Definition

An acronym is a short word formed by the combination of the first letters of words representing the name of something. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term ‘acronym’ as “a word formed from the initial letters of other words or (occasionally) from the initial parts of syllables taken from other words, the whole being pronounced as a single word”. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an acronym is defined as “a word formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term”.

Use of Acronyms

Have you ever noticed how often you use acronyms? With the invention of mobile phones and the popularisation of social media applications for communication, people have become accustomed to conveying messages in broken sentences, abbreviations and acronyms. Not many people even have to look for the full forms of the acronyms being used since they already know them.

To help you understand what acronyms are, here is a list of acronyms that are commonly used in your daily conversations.

List of Acronyms Examples

• LOL – Laugh out loud
• YOLO – You only live once
• ASAP – As soon as possible
• WIP – Work in progress
• FOMO – Fear of missing out
• PIN – Personal Identification Number
• SONAR – Sound Navigation and Ranging
• ZIP – Zone Improvement Plan
• NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• RADAR – Radio Detection and Ranging
• UNICEF – United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
• UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
• RAM – Random Access Memory
• ROM – Read Only Memory
• CAPTCHA – Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart
• LASER – Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
• SIM – Subscriber Identity Module
• WiFi – Wireless Fidelity
• LAN – Local Area Network
• WAN – Wide Area Network
• RAW – Research and Analysis Wing
• NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
• SWOT – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
• SARS – Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
• SAARC – South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
• SCUBA – Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
• FIFA – Federation Internationale de Football Association
• TEFL – Teaching English as a Foreign Language
• TESL – Teaching English as a Second Language
• TESOL – Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
• TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language
• IELTS – International English Language Testing System