Meaning & use
GMT
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Meanings
abbreviation
Greenwich Mean Time, the time at the prime meridian used as a standard reference for world time zones.
Grammar: Written after a time, e.g., 14:00 GMT, to show the time zone.
Patterns
- at 12:00 GMT
- GMT +2
The meeting is scheduled for 10:00 GMT.
Please convert your local time to GMT.
The broadcast will begin at 18:00 GMT.
abbreviationinformal
Used in text messages to mean 'Greenwich Mean Time' when specifying a time zone.
Grammar: Often appears in online chats to clarify timing for people in different zones.
Patterns
- see you at 3pm GMT
- what time is that in GMT?
Let's chat at 5pm GMT, so everyone can join.
What's 8am EST in GMT?
The stream starts at 20:00 GMT.
Common combinations
- Greenwich Mean Time
- Greenwich Mean Time is based on the prime meridian.
- GMT time zone
- The UK is in the GMT time zone during winter.
- convert to GMT
- You need to convert your local time to GMT.
Synonyms and how they differ
- UTC
- Coordinated Universal Time, a more precise modern standard; GMT is often used informally as a synonym.
Commonly confused: GMT or UTC?
GMT vs UTC
UTC is the modern atomic time standard, while GMT is based on solar time; they are often the same but not always exactly.
Practice
If a live event is at 15:00 GMT, what does GMT stand for?
Choose one answer.
GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time, the time at the prime meridian. The other options are not the correct expansion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “GMT”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.