IM

Meanings

1. 1abbreviationcountablecomputing

   A short text message sent and received instantly between users over the internet, or the service that allows this.

   Grammar: Short for instant message or instant messaging: send an IM.

   Patterns

   • send someone an IM
   • get an IM from someone
   • by IM

   I got an IM from my sister asking when we would arrive.

   Colleagues usually use IM for quick questions instead of email.

   The company bans IM during working hours.

2. 2verbtransitive or intransitiveinformal

   To send someone a message through an instant-messaging service.

   Grammar: Informal and written with capitals: IM me later.

   Patterns

   • IM someone
   • IM someone about something

   I'll IM you when I'm outside the cinema.

   He IMed his friend the answer during the quiz show.

   We IM each other all day.

Word forms

Common combinations

send an IM

Send me an IM when you're ready.

IM someone

I'll IM you the address.

IM conversation

We had a long IM conversation about the project.

IM window

An IM window popped up on her screen.

IM status

His IM status said 'away'.

Synonyms and how they differ

chat

Chat is wider and can mean talking by voice or in person, while IM always means typed messages sent through a service.

text

Text usually means a phone text message, while an IM uses an app or internet service.

DM

DM, or direct message, is the term for private messages on social media, while IM is older and tied to messaging programs.

message

Message is the general word, and IM is one specific kind of electronic message.

Word family

instant message noun

the full phrase that IM abbreviates

instant messaging noun

real-time text communication online

messenger noun

a program or person that carries messages

IMing noun

the activity of sending instant messages

Commonly confused: IM or I'm? IM or DM?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “IM”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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