AAA
Abbreviation with 7 meanings
| Stands for | American Automobile Association |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 7 |
| Categories | Organizations & Companies, Medical, Business & Finance, Law & Legal, Sports, Government & Politics, Technology & Computing |
AAA has seven meanings. The most common are American Automobile Association (nonprofit) and Abdominal aortic aneurysm (cardiology); it can also stand for Highest credit rating (triple-A), American Arbitration Association, Triple-A, Agricultural Adjustment Administration and Authentication, authorization and accounting.
Meanings of AAA at a glance
| # | AAA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Automobile Association | Organizations & Companies › Nonprofit |
| 2 | Abdominal aortic aneurysm | Medical › Cardiology |
| 3 | Highest credit rating (triple-A) | Business & Finance › Bond & Fixed-Income |
| 4 | American Arbitration Association | Law & Legal › Litigation |
| 5 | Triple-A | Sports › Baseball |
| 6 | Agricultural Adjustment Administration | Government & Politics › Public Program |
| 7 | Authentication, authorization and accounting | Technology & Computing › Cybersecurity |
1. American Automobile Association
Organizations & Companies · Nonprofit Abbreviations
Federation of regional motor clubs in the United States that provides roadside assistance, travel planning, insurance and discounts to members, and publishes national gasoline price data and hotel and restaurant Diamond ratings.
Example: Her car battery died on the highway, so she called AAA for a jump start.
Founded in Chicago in 1902 by motor clubs campaigning for better roads, it has tens of millions of members, served by regional clubs that are separately run. Its daily fuel price survey is widely quoted in the news. It is pronounced "triple A". Canada's equivalent is the CAA.
2. Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Medical · Cardiology Abbreviations
Bulging of the abdominal aorta to 3 cm or more in diameter, usually below the kidney arteries. Most cause no symptoms until rupture, which is often fatal, so the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends a one-time ultrasound screen for men aged 65 to 75 who have ever smoked.
Example: Incidental 4.2 cm infrarenal AAA on CT; surveillance ultrasound in 12 months.
Pronounced "triple A." Elective repair is usually advised at 5.5 cm for men and about 5.0 cm for women, or when the aneurysm grows quickly or causes symptoms. Repair is done by open surgery or an endovascular stent graft (EVAR). Risk factors include smoking, male sex, age, family history and hypertension. In consumer contexts AAA usually means the American Automobile Association.
3. Highest credit rating (triple-A)
Business & Finance · Bond & Fixed-Income Abbreviations
Top credit rating assigned by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings (written Aaa at Moody's), indicating an extremely strong capacity to meet financial commitments and the lowest expected default risk. Only a few governments, supranational lenders and corporations hold it.
Example: Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson have long been among the very few US companies rated AAA by S&P.
Moody's downgraded the United States from Aaa in May 2025, so all three major agencies now rate it one notch lower; S&P had cut it in 2011 and Fitch in 2023. Senior tranches of securitizations can also be rated AAA. Pronounced "triple-A." In travel, AAA is the American Automobile Association.
4. American Arbitration Association
Law & Legal · Litigation Abbreviations · also used in organizations
Nonprofit organization, founded in 1926 and based in New York, that administers arbitration and mediation under its own Commercial, Construction, Employment and Consumer rules. It is among the providers most frequently named in US arbitration clauses.
Example: Any dispute shall be resolved by arbitration administered by the AAA under its Commercial Arbitration Rules.
Its international division is the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR). Because its rules are incorporated into many consumer and employment contracts, waves of mass arbitration filings in the late 2010s and 2020s led it to adopt special fee schedules and procedures for multiple-case filings. In everyday use, AAA usually means the American Automobile Association.
5. Triple-A
Sports · Baseball Abbreviations · also used in entertainment
Highest level of minor league baseball, one step below the majors, made up of the International League and the Pacific Coast League. Most players called up to MLB come from their club's Triple-A affiliate.
Example: He hit .330 at AAA Durham before earning his first big league call-up.
The level system (Triple-A, Double-A, High-A, Single-A) descends from classifications set in the early twentieth century; Triple-A was created in 1946. Players optioned to the minors often go to Triple-A. Double-A is written AA. Outside baseball, AAA most often means the American Automobile Association.
6. Agricultural Adjustment Administration
Government & Politics · Public Program Abbreviations
New Deal agency created in 1933 that paid farmers to reduce production of crops and livestock in order to raise depressed farm prices, financed by a tax on food processors.
Example: AAA payments led some landowners to evict tenant farmers from the acreage taken out of production.
The Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 was partly struck down in United States v. Butler (1936), which invalidated the processing tax; a revised act in 1938 established farm price supports that shaped later farm bills. Its 1933 slaughter of millions of young pigs to cut supply drew wide criticism.
7. Authentication, authorization and accounting
Technology & Computing · Cybersecurity Abbreviations
A security framework for network access that verifies who a user is, decides what they may do, and records what they did for auditing or billing. RADIUS and TACACS+ servers provide AAA for VPNs, Wi-Fi and network device logins.
Example: Point the switches at the AAA server so admin logins use domain accounts and get logged.
Pronounced "triple A" and foundational in networking certifications such as Cisco's CCNA. TACACS+, from Cisco, separates the three functions and is common for device administration, while RADIUS dominates user network access. In everyday English AAA usually means the American Automobile Association or a top credit rating.
Related abbreviations
More nonprofit abbreviations
- 4-H – 4-H
- 501(c)(3) – Section 501(c)(3) organization
- 501(c)(4) – Section 501(c)(4) organization
- AA – Alcoholics Anonymous
- AARP – AARP (formerly American Association of Retired Persons)
- AAUW – American Association of University Women
- ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union
- ACS – American Cancer Society
See all 91 nonprofit abbreviations →
More cardiology abbreviations
- ABI – Ankle-brachial index
- ABPM – Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
- ACC – American College of Cardiology
- ACHD – Adult congenital heart disease
- ADHF – Acute decompensated heart failure
- AED – Automated external defibrillator
- AF – Atrial fibrillation
See all 229 cardiology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical or legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.