lol

Originally an acronym typically taken to stand for "laughing out loud" (also occasionally "lots of laughs," "lots of love," "lots of luck") in internet forums, chat rooms, and text messages, it has evolved to fit a role as an indicator either of the tone of a previous statement, or an acknowledgement that a message was received through an online medium. Because of the nature of conversations occurring through text, it is not always simple for the intended audience to know whether a statement was meant to be comical, hostile, serious, written in anger, etc. Ending a textual statement with "lol" is an indicator that the statement was made in jest or without any intended hostility toward the recipient(s). When used as an indicator of reception, "lol" signifies that the recipient was present, though it is rarely an indicator that they actually read the message they received. "lol" is sometimes used in spoken conversation as an interjection pronounced either as "el oh el" or "lawl" and typically indicates excitement, enthusiasm wry amusement, irony, or skepticism.