DMV
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Department of Motor Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Transportation & Travel, Geography & Places |
DMV has two meanings. It stands for Department of Motor Vehicles (driving) or District, Maryland and Virginia (region).
Meanings of DMV at a glance
| # | DMV stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Department of Motor Vehicles | Transportation & Travel › Driving |
| 2 | District, Maryland and Virginia | Geography & Places › Region |
1. Department of Motor Vehicles
Transportation & Travel · Driving Abbreviations
State agency that issues driver's licenses, ID cards, vehicle titles, registrations and license plates in many US states, including California, New York and Virginia. A trip to the DMV for a license renewal, road test or REAL ID is a rite of passage, famous for long lines.
Example: Book an appointment online before you go to the DMV, or you could wait three hours for a REAL ID.
Pronounced as letters. Not every state uses the name: equivalents include the BMV in Indiana and Ohio, the MVD in Arizona and New Mexico, the RMV in Massachusetts, the MVA in Maryland, the Secretary of State in Michigan and Illinois, and the DPS for licenses in Texas. California's DMV dates to 1915. "The DMV" is also slang for the Washington, DC, region (DC, Maryland and Virginia), especially in music and sports. Many services, including renewals and registration, can now be done online.
2. District, Maryland and Virginia
Geography & Places · Region Abbreviations
Local name for the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, combining the District with suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia. It spread through go-go and hip-hop culture and is now common in media and business.
Example: The best half-smokes in the DMV are a matter of fierce debate.
Everywhere else DMV means the Department of Motor Vehicles, so local and national readers may take it differently. The DMV has about 6 million residents.
Related abbreviations
More driving abbreviations
- CR – County Road
- CSA – Compliance, Safety, Accountability
- DDS – Department of Driver Services
- DL – Driver's license
- DOL – Department of Licensing
- DPS – Department of Public Safety
- DVLA – Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
- DVSA – Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
See all 54 driving abbreviations →
More region abbreviations
- DACH – Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- Delmarva – Delaware, Maryland and Virginia (peninsula)
- DMA – Designated Market Area
- DOM-TOM – Départements et territoires d'outre-mer (French overseas departments…
- EEZ – Exclusive economic zone
- EMEA – Europe, the Middle East and Africa
- GBA – Greater Bay Area
- GTA – Greater Toronto Area