SF
Abbreviation with 8 meanings
| Stands for | San Francisco |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 8 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Military, Government & Politics, Units & Measurements, Sports, Business & Finance |
SF has eight meanings. The most common are San Francisco (city and neighborhood) and Special Forces (US Army) (military unit and organization); it can also stand for Sinn Féin, Square feet (construction and real estate), Small forward, Security Forces (US Air Force) and Sacrifice fly, plus 1 more listed below.
Meanings of SF at a glance
| # | SF stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | Geography & Places › City and Neighborhood |
| 2 | Special Forces (US Army) | Military › Military Unit and Organization |
| 3 | Sinn Féin | Government & Politics › UK Government |
| 4 | Square feet (construction and real estate) | Units & Measurements › US Customary and Imperial Unit |
| 5 | Small forward | Sports › Basketball |
| 6 | Security Forces (US Air Force) | Military › Military Unit and Organization |
| 7 | Sacrifice fly | Sports › Baseball |
| 8 | Start-to-finish | Business & Finance › Project Management |
1. San Francisco
Geography & Places · City and Neighborhood Abbreviations
Cultural and financial center of Northern California and the Bay Area, with about 800,000 residents on a 7-by-7-mile peninsula. The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, and the city was rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake and fire.
Example: Rents in SF dipped during the pandemic before tech hiring picked up again.
Many residents dislike the nicknames Frisco and San Fran, preferring SF or the City. SF also abbreviates science fiction and, in sports, San Francisco teams such as the 49ers and Giants. SFO is the airport code.
2. Special Forces (US Army)
Military · Military Unit and Organization Abbreviations
US Army special operations force, known as the Green Berets, that specializes in unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense and training partner forces, as well as direct action and special reconnaissance.
Example: After two decades in SF, he still speaks fluent Pashto and Dari.
Special Forces was formed in 1952, and President Kennedy authorized the green beret in 1961; the motto is "De Oppresso Liber," to free the oppressed. Strictly, "Special Forces" is the proper name of this Army force only, though the press often uses "special forces" for any special operations unit. In the Air Force, SF means Security Forces.
3. Sinn Féin
Government & Politics · UK Government Abbreviations
Irish republican party active in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland that seeks a united Ireland. It became the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2022 and is a leading opposition party in the Dáil in Dublin.
Example: SF won the most first-preference votes in the Dublin constituency.
Its name is Irish for "ourselves", and English-language media often drop the accent, writing Sinn Fein. Its MPs elected to Westminster follow a policy of abstentionism and do not take their seats. The party was historically linked to the Provisional IRA, and its role in the peace process led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
4. Square feet (construction and real estate)
Units & Measurements · US Customary and Imperial Unit Abbreviations
Uppercase SF is the standard shorthand for square feet on architectural plans, construction estimates and commercial real estate listings, where office and retail rents are quoted in dollars per SF per year.
Example: Class A office space available, 4,200 SF, asking $38/SF/yr full service.
Commercial leases distinguish rentable SF, which includes a share of common areas such as lobbies, from usable SF, the space a tenant actually occupies. Variants include sf, S.F. and RSF (rentable square feet). Outside property documents, SF more often means San Francisco or science fiction.
5. Small forward
Sports · Basketball Abbreviations
Versatile wing player, the "3" in position numbering, who scores from outside and inside, defends multiple positions and often guards the opponent's best perimeter scorer.
Example: LeBron started at SF but spent most of the fourth quarter running the offense.
Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, LeBron James and Kevin Durant are classic small forwards. The position's flexibility made it central to "positionless" basketball in the 2010s. In other contexts SF means San Francisco or science fiction.
6. Security Forces (US Air Force)
Military · Military Unit and Organization Abbreviations
Air Force career field and units responsible for law enforcement, base defense and nuclear weapons security, equivalent to Army military police. Security forces airmen are nicknamed "Defenders" and wear a dark blue beret.
Example: SF patrols closed the base gate after a vehicle failed to stop at the checkpoint.
The career field took its current name in 1997, replacing Security Police. Security forces squadrons also deploy to defend air bases overseas. In the Army, SF means Special Forces, a completely different specialty.
7. Sacrifice fly
Sports · Baseball Abbreviations
Fly ball caught for an out that allows a runner on third (or occasionally another base) to tag up and score. The batter gets an RBI, and the play does not count as an at-bat.
Example: His SF to deep center brought home the tying run.
Exempt from at-bats since 1954, which helps batting averages. Sacrifice flies do count against on-base percentage. Outside baseball SF often stands for San Francisco or science fiction.
8. Start-to-finish
Business & Finance · Project Management Abbreviations
Rarely used dependency in which the successor cannot finish until the predecessor starts, as in a shift handover where the old system runs until the new one starts.
Example: The legacy support task has an SF link to the new system's go-live.
Many scheduling guides advise avoiding SF links because they confuse readers of the schedule.
Related abbreviations
More city and neighborhood abbreviations
- PJ – Petaling Jaya
- RVA – Richmond, Virginia
- SA – San Antonio
- SD – San Diego
- SI – Staten Island
- SLC – Salt Lake City
- SLO – San Luis Obispo
- SoBe – South Beach
See all 59 city and neighborhood abbreviations →
More military unit and organization abbreviations
- SAS – Special Air Service
- SBS – Special Boat Service
- SEAC – Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman
- SEAL – Sea, Air and Land (Navy SEAL)
- SFG – Special Forces Group
- SFOD-D – 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta
- SHAPE – Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
- SOAR – Special Operations Aviation Regiment