LOL stands for laughing out loud. People write it in chats and on social media when something strikes them as funny.
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lol, + statement; ...lol
- lol, I can't believe he said that in the meeting.
- The waiter brought us three desserts we didn't even order lol.
- lol, I locked myself out of my own flat again.
What changed
First versionDear Ms Clark, I attached the wrong file by mistake lol. Here is the correct one.
RevisionDear Ms Clark, I attached the wrong file by mistake. Here is the correct one.
In a chat with friends, lol softens an awkward moment, and people often add it out of habit after admitting their own mistake. But to a client or manager it looks unprofessional, so it's simply dropped — acknowledging the mistake and attaching the correct file is enough.
LOL usually signals a light smile rather than real laughter — people add it almost automatically, even after their own joke or an awkward bit of news. If something is genuinely hilarious, they write that's hilarious or I can't stop laughing. Don't use lol in an essay or in IELTS Speaking; when speaking, react with that's so funny instead.
Your turn
Your friend sends you a video of a dog chasing its own tail, and you just reply: ___.
Show the answer
lol — Friends often reply to a funny video with a single lol — that's exactly the laughing reaction it signals. Tbh introduces an opinion, so on its own it can't work as a reply to something funny.
Describe a funny moment that happened to you recently, and react to it in a message to a friend.
lol, I tripped over my own bag in front of the whole office today.
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