RT
Abbreviation with 6 meanings
| Stands for | Retweet |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 6 |
| Categories | Texting & Internet Slang, Medical, Science & Engineering, Organizations & Companies |
RT has six meanings. The most common are Retweet (social media) and Radiation therapy (hematology and oncology); it can also stand for Respiratory therapist, Reaction time, Room temperature and RT (formerly Russia Today).
Meanings of RT at a glance
| # | RT stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retweet | Texting & Internet Slang › Social Media |
| 2 | Radiation therapy | Medical › Hematology and Oncology |
| 3 | Respiratory therapist | Medical › Healthcare Credential |
| 4 | Reaction time | Science & Engineering › Psychology |
| 5 | Room temperature | Science & Engineering › Chemistry |
| 6 | RT (formerly Russia Today) | Organizations & Companies › Media and Broadcasting |
1. Retweet
Texting & Internet Slang · Social Media Abbreviations
Reposting another user's post on X (formerly Twitter) to one's own followers, either as a noun or a verb. In bios, "RTs are not endorsements" is a common disclaimer.
Example: RT if you remember when this mall had a working fountain.
Users originally typed "RT @username" by hand before Twitter added an official Retweet button in 2009. After the platform was renamed X in 2023, retweets were officially relabeled "reposts," but RT remains common in speech and writing. Journalists' bios often say "RTs ≠ endorsements."
2. Radiation therapy
Medical · Hematology and Oncology Abbreviations
Use of high-energy radiation, mostly X-rays (photons), to destroy cancer cells, delivered from outside the body or by radioactive sources placed inside it. About half of all people with cancer receive radiation at some point during treatment.
Example: Adjuvant RT to the breast, 40 Gy in 15 fractions, starting 4 weeks after surgery.
Doses are measured in gray (Gy) and divided into fractions, typically given once daily on weekdays, to let normal tissue recover between treatments. Radiation can be curative, adjuvant after surgery, combined with chemotherapy, or palliative for pain and bleeding. Radiation oncologists plan treatment with CT simulation. In respiratory care RT means respiratory therapist.
3. Respiratory therapist
Medical · Healthcare Credential Abbreviations
Licensed clinician who manages ventilators, oxygen therapy, breathing treatments, airway care and pulmonary diagnostics, often in emergency and intensive care settings. Credentials (CRT or RRT) come from the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC).
Example: RT at bedside to adjust ventilator settings after ABG.
Respiratory therapists are licensed in every state except Alaska. Entry requires at least an associate degree from a CoARC-accredited program. In oncology RT means radiation therapy, and in radiology it can mean radiologic technologist.
4. Reaction time
Science & Engineering · Psychology Abbreviations
Time between the presentation of a stimulus and a person's response, usually measured in milliseconds. RT is a basic measure in cognitive psychology, used to study attention, decision-making, aging, fatigue and the effects of drugs and alcohol.
Example: Mean RT increased by 40 milliseconds when participants also performed the memory task.
Dutch physiologist Franciscus Donders introduced the subtraction method in 1868, comparing simple and choice reaction times to estimate how long mental steps take. Simple visual RT in young adults is typically around 200-250 milliseconds. Hick's law states that choice RT rises with the logarithm of the number of options.
5. Room temperature
Science & Engineering · Chemistry Abbreviations
Laboratory shorthand for ordinary ambient temperature, usually about 20-25 °C, written in procedures where no heating or cooling is applied. A reaction "stirred at RT overnight" needs no temperature control.
Example: The mixture was stirred at RT for 16 h, then concentrated under reduced pressure.
Journals vary: many organic chemistry papers use lowercase rt, while biology protocols favor RT. Because room temperature varies between labs and seasons, sensitive experiments report the actual value. In immunoassay protocols, incubation "at RT" generally means 20-25 °C.
6. RT (formerly Russia Today)
Organizations & Companies · Media and Broadcasting Abbreviations
Russian state-funded international television network broadcasting in English, Spanish, Arabic and other languages. It has been banned or restricted in the European Union, the UK and other countries since 2022.
Example: Several YouTube channels linked to RT were removed in 2022.
Launched in 2005 as Russia Today and rebranded as RT in 2009 to de-emphasize its Russian origins. Western governments describe it as a propaganda outlet. In social media RT means retweet.
Related abbreviations
More social media abbreviations
- PSA – Public service announcement
- QFT – Quoted for truth
- QOTD – Quote of the day
- QT – Quote tweet
- S4S – Shoutout for shoutout
- SC – Snapchat
- SFW – Safe for work
- SM – Social media
See all 106 social media abbreviations →
More hematology and oncology abbreviations
- PTLD – Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder
- PV – Polycythemia vera
- R-CHOP – Rituximab, cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin (doxorubicin)…
- RECIST – Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors
- SBRT – Stereotactic body radiation therapy
- SCA – Sickle cell anemia
- SCD – Sickle cell disease
- SCLC – Small cell lung cancer
See all 144 hematology and oncology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.