F in the chat
condolences, regret, or sympathy.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I failed my driving test, so F in the chat.”
“My phone screen just shattered into a thousand pieces, so F in the chat.”
“When the team lost the championship in the final seconds, the fans posted an F in the chat to express their collective disappointment.”
first recorded 21st c.
The term originates from a prompt in the PC version of the 2014 video game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. During a funeral cutscene for a soldier who died saving the player’s life, the game directs the player to Press F to Pay Respects. This mechanic required the player to press the F key to touch the coffin, an attempt at interactive mourning that was met with immediate and widespread mockery.
The prompt subsequently transitioned into a meme, adopted by streamers on the platform Twitch who would call for their audience to type F in chat windows to express sympathy when an unfortunate event occurred. The instruction to press F to pay respects moved into non-gaming contexts to suggest that credit or recognition is due, typically in response to a minor social failure or a public misfortune.
- 01
chat up
To talk to (someone) in a friendly, open, or casual manner, sometimes also in a charming or affected manner, usually to curry favor, and sometimes flirtatiously with the intention of establishing a romantic or sexual encounter or relationship with that person.
- 02
flat chat
At maximum capability, intensity, or speed.
- 03
L in the chat
A loss, failure, or unfortunate event.
Last updated August 10, 2026