# PICS

/pˈɪks/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pics
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. photographs

noun · CEFR A2 · Informal

short for 'pictures'; you use this when talking about photos you take or see online.

For teachers: the plural form of 'pic', an informal clipping of 'picture' or 'photograph'.

- She posted some great pics of her holiday on Instagram yesterday.
- The digital archive contains thousands of high-resolution pics documenting the city's architectural evolution over the last decade.

### 2. medical syndrome

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

Stands for Post-Intensive Care Syndrome; health problems that remain after a patient leaves intensive care.

For teachers: Abbreviation for Post-Intensive Care Syndrome; a spectrum of physical, cognitive, and mental health impairments that persist after hospital discharge.

- Doctors are studying PICS to help patients recover better after a long hospital stay.
- Clinical research into PICS suggests that early physical therapy within the ICU can mitigate long-term cognitive decline in survivors.

### 3. internet content filtering

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical · Archaic

Stands for Platform for Internet Content Selection; an old way to label and filter websites.

For teachers: Abbreviation for Platform for Internet Content Selection; a deprecated W3C standard designed to allow parents and schools to filter web content.

- PICS was an early attempt to control what children could see on the internet.
- Although PICS was intended to provide a neutral infrastructure for content rating, it was eventually superseded by more robust filtering protocols.

## Examples

- I will send you the pics from the party tonight.
- The travel blogger posted several high-quality pics of the mountain range on her social media profile.
- While professional photographers prefer the term 'images' or 'photographs', the general public almost exclusively uses 'pics' when sharing snapshots on instant messaging platforms.

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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.