# F in the chat

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/f-in-the-chat
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

condolences, regret, or sympathy.

## Examples

- 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.

## Origin

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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.