WL
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Westlaw |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Law & Legal, Business & Finance, Transportation & Travel |
WL has three meanings. The most common are Westlaw (legal citation) and Whole life insurance (insurance); it can also stand for Waiting list.
Meanings of WL at a glance
| # | WL stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westlaw | Law & Legal › Legal Citation |
| 2 | Whole life insurance | Business & Finance › Insurance |
| 3 | Waiting list | Transportation & Travel › Rail and Transit |
1. Westlaw
Law & Legal · Legal Citation Abbreviations
Database citation format for court decisions available on Thomson Reuters' Westlaw service but not printed in a reporter. The citation gives the year, "WL" and a unique document number, followed by the court and exact date, as in 2023 WL 1234567 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 3, 2023).
Example: Defendants cite Doe v. Acme Corp., 2022 WL 3456789, at *4 (D. Mass. Aug. 9, 2022).
Pinpoint citations use an asterisk for the screen page: "at *4". The Bluebook accepts WL citations for unreported cases, and they are the usual way to cite unpublished district court opinions. Westlaw launched in 1975 and belongs to the same company that publishes West's reporters. The competing Lexis format uses "LEXIS".
2. Whole life insurance
Business & Finance · Insurance Abbreviations
Permanent life insurance with fixed premiums, a guaranteed death benefit and guaranteed cash value growth for the insured's entire life. Participating policies from mutual insurers may also pay dividends.
Example: Grandpa's WL policy has built up $40,000 in cash value.
Whole life costs far more than term insurance for the same death benefit, which fuels the "buy term and invest the difference" debate. Cash value can be borrowed against, but unpaid loans reduce the death benefit.
3. Waiting list
Transportation & Travel · Rail and Transit Abbreviations
Indian Railways booking status showing that no seat or berth is yet available, with a number indicating the passenger's position in the queue. Waitlisted e-tickets that remain unconfirmed when the chart is prepared are canceled automatically and refunded.
Example: We're WL 12 and 13 two days before departure, so we'll probably move up to RAC.
Waitlists come in several types depending on where the passenger boards, including GNWL, RLWL and PQWL, which have different chances of confirmation. Chart preparation takes place several hours before departure. Booking apps estimate confirmation probability from past data.
Related abbreviations
More legal citation abbreviations
- A.2d – Atlantic Reporter, Second Series
- A.3d – Atlantic Reporter, Third Series
- A.D.3d – Appellate Division Reports, Third Series
- A.L.R. – American Law Reports
- AC – Appeal Cases
- aff'd – Affirmed
- aff'g – Affirming
- All ER – All England Law Reports
See all 87 legal citation abbreviations →
More insurance abbreviations
- ACORD – Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development
- ACV – Actual cash value
- AD&D – Accidental death and dismemberment insurance
- AI – Additional insured
- ALE – Additional living expenses
- AOP – All other perils
- BI – Bodily injury liability
- BOP – Business owner's policy
See all 86 insurance abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.