instant messaging
compound.compound. a way of sending short text messages to someone over the internet so they see them immediately. You can have a fast conversation with one person or a whole group.
compound. a type of online communication that allows for the real-time exchange of text-based messages between two or more participants. Often abbreviated as IM.
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.
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.
Often functions as a compound noun; can also be used as a verb phrase ('to instant message someone').
Last updated July 22, 2026