What Does "ROFLMAO" Mean?

In electronic communication, "ROFLMAO" is a common acronym for "Rolling on Floor, Laughing My A** Off." Like many cultural curiosities of the Internet, it has become a part of modern English vernacular.

"ROFLMAO" Usage Examples 

Example 1:

First user: "Oh, man, my boss just came to my cubicle. I was so embarrassed for him because his fly was open, and I didn't have the courage to tell him. LOL!"

Second user: "ROFLMAO!"

Example 2:

Xian: "Ha! Our cat was walking on the kitchen windowsill and just fell into a sink of water. I've never seen him jump so fast!"

Jason: "HAHA ROFLMAO! Did you get a photo?"

Example 3:

Carmelita: "Pwnage! I just used a snowball to push that Horde player off the cliff! His toon fell 100 feet and went splat!"

Nalora: "ROFLMAO! Was that in arenas?"

Carmelita: "Battlegrounds. The poor shmuck was stealthed and try to stunlock me, but I blinked and snowballed him off the cliff!"

Example 4:

Joanna: "OMG our German shepherd broke open a bag of flour in the kitchen. He is covered in white flour and looks like an albino wolf!"

Heidi: "BWAHAHA ROFLMAO!"

Example 5:

Tim: "My kid wanted to get the Chinese character for 'male' tattooed on his shoulder and found a pic from the Internet, but it was of the character for 'mail.' So, yeah, the tattoo on his arm basically says 'postal service' in Chinese. HAHAHAHA!"

Randy: "ROFLMAO!"

Expressions Similar to "ROFLMAO"

• "LOL" ("Laughing Out Loud")
• "PMSL" ("P*ssing Myself Laughing")
• "ROFL" ("Rolling on Floor, Laughing")
• "ROFLCOPTER" ("Rolling on Floor Laughing, Turning Like a Helicopter")
• "LULZ" (variation of "Laughing Out Loud")
• "BWAHAHA" (boisterous laugh)

Capitalization and Punctuation

Capitalization is a non-concern when using text message abbreviations and chat jargon. Whether you use uppercase (e.g., "ROFL") or lower (e.g., "rofl"), the meaning is identical. Avoid typing entire sentences in upper case, though; that's shouting in online-speak.

Punctuation is similarly unimportant with most text message abbreviations. For example, the abbreviation for "Too Long, Didn't Read" can be abbreviated as "TL;DR" or "TLDR." Both are acceptable, with or without punctuation.

The exception: Never use periods (dots) between your jargon letters. It would defeat the purpose of speeding up thumb typing. For example, "ROFL" should never be typed as "R.O.F.L." and "TTYL" should never appear as "T.T.Y.L."  

Etiquette for Web and Texting Jargon 

Know who your audience is and whether the context is informal or professional, and then use good judgment. If you know the people well, and it is a personal and informal communication, then abbreviation jargon is perfectly acceptable. On the flip side, if you are just starting a friendship or professional relationship with the other person, avoiding abbreviations is a good idea until you have developed a rapport.

If the messaging is in a professional context with a coworker, customer or vendor, avoid abbreviations altogether. Using full words shows professionalism and courtesy. Err on the side of professionalism and then relax your communications over time.