TL;DR
Texting & Internet Slang abbreviation · Social Media
| Stands for | Too long; didn't read |
|---|---|
| Categories | Texting & Internet Slang |
TL;DR stands for Too long; didn't read, a social media abbreviation.
Signals either that a reader skipped a long text or, more commonly today, introduces a short summary at the end or start of a long post. Used on Reddit, forums, emails and blogs.
Example: TL;DR: the landlord kept my deposit, so I'm taking him to small claims court.
Usage notes
Oxford Dictionaries added it in 2013. The semicolon reflects its origin on early-2000s forums, where readers replied "too long; didn't read" to walls of text. Written variously as TLDR, tl;dr and TL:DR. In work emails, a "TL;DR" summary at the top is increasingly accepted as a courtesy to busy readers.