For other meanings of LOL, see LOL.

LOL (or lol; also lawl) is an acronym, the abbreviation for "laugh out loud". It is a common slang term used on the Usenet, in bulletin board systems, chat rooms, Internet games, Internet forums, IRC, and in instant messaging. It is used for expressing general amusement.

The origin of "LOL" is unknown. It is rumored that it first started in print in 1973. Other rumors attribute its use to the Dutch word 'lol' meaning 'fun', which is likely to be a coincidence.

The popular use of the term has sprung many variations of 'lol', such as lols, lolz (a pseudo-pluralization), lololol/loooool/lolllll (for repetition), lit. lol/llol ("literally laughing out loud"), lollerskates, etc. However, many variations can be seen as esoteric and are not as commonly used as others. Further popular variations include LMAO, "Laughing My Ass Off" and even ROFLMAO, "Rolling On the Floor Laughing My Ass Off".

'lol' is sometimes used mockingly, usually to imitate a teenage girl or an AOL user, commonly portrayed as using lol and alternating caps in thier internet speech. In this sense, lol can be looked upon as a kind of "filler" word, akin to saying "ummm".

In American English, lol is pronounced either , /lɑl/ or /loʊl/