Word
instant messaging
Definition
n. a system for sending short text messages that appear on the other person's screen right away.
n. a form of real-time communication where two or more people exchange short text messages via computers or mobile devices.
Examples
“I use instant messaging to chat with my friends every day.”
“The office switched to instant messaging to reduce the number of internal emails and get faster answers to simple questions.”
“While email remains the standard for formal documentation, instant messaging has become the primary medium for rapid, informal collaboration within modern remote teams.”
Examples
simple
“I use instant messaging to chat with my friends every day.”
contextual
“The office switched to instant messaging to reduce the number of internal emails and get faster answers to simple questions.”
complex
“While email remains the standard for formal documentation, instant messaging has become the primary medium for rapid, informal collaboration within modern remote teams.”
Usage
Often abbreviated as IM; functions as an uncountable noun when referring to the technology.
Etymology
A compound formed from the adjective instant, derived from the Latin instans, and the gerund messaging. The term gained prominence in the late 1990s following the release of commercial software such as AOL Instant Messenger.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/instant-messaging