what does "LOL" mean?

[Dodgewiper]

I saw this word in an English chat room and it was frequently used by room members.
_________________
Man gets and forgets, God gives and forgives.

[Alan]

It is an acronym for Laughing Out Loud and is used in text or internet messages to indicate that you are amused or that you think something is funny.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Youscream_Icecream]

Hi Dodgewiper,

In addition to Alan's info, some of my on-line acquaintances from Canada and US interpreted LOL as Lots Of Laughs. I think that both expressions fare the same.

Y.I
_________________
Need a speaking partner?
I'd be more than happy to oblige. PM me for more details and I promise you it wont cost a cent!

[Haihao]

Only is there a difference: Lots Of Laughs is not the legitimate interpretation but kind of joke for LOL, but Alan's is. They are not the same.

[Mube]

LOL (also written lol) is a common element of Internet slang used, historically, on Usenet but now widespread to other forms of computer-mediated communication such as Yahoo and MSN Messenger, and even spread to face-to-face communication. It is an acronym for "laughing out loud" or "laugh out loud", or, less commonly, "lots of luck". "LOL" is one of many initialisms for expressing bodily reactions, in particular laughter, as text, including initialisms such as "ROFL" (or "ROTFL") ("roll(ing) on the floor laughing"), a more emphatic expression of laughter, "LMAO" ("laughing my ass off")

[Dodgewiper]

thanks for your answers.
_________________
Man gets and forgets, God gives and forgives.

[Youscream_Icecream]

Many thanks for the correction, Haihao-san!
_________________
Need a speaking partner?
I'd be more than happy to oblige. PM me for more details and I promise you it wont cost a cent!

[Blue_Snow]

Sorry but is lol an acronym or an abbreviation?

[Beeesneees]

At least 2 of the above posts have already explained that it is an acronym, BS.
_________________
Cheers m' dears!

[Blue_Snow]

Could you please give me the transcription for it?

[Beeesneees]

Yes - You will find both common phrases in posts #2 and #3 above!
_________________
Cheers m' dears!

[Blue_Snow]

No. I meant the pronunciation transcription not the full phrase. Because I've seen some forum explain that acronym is different from abbreviation. In details, acronym is pronounced as 1 word while abbreviation is pronounced as each letter separately.

[Haihao]

It is an email expression (acronym).

[Richard]

Hello everyone
Good morning Dodgewiper
(LOL) is one of the commonest one...take a look at these pages:
NetLingo List of Internet Acronyms & Text Message Jargon
Electronic Messaging
Internet slang
Best of luck.
_________________
Who dares to teach must never cease to learn. -John Cotton Dana

[Beeesneees]