Meaning & use
texted
Last updated
“texted” is a form of “text”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
Past tense and past participle of text: sent a short written message from one mobile phone to another.
Grammar: Takes a person or a message: she texted me; or stands alone: he texted all night.
Patterns
- text someone
- text someone something
- text back
I texted you when I got to the station, but you didn't answer.
She texted her brother the address before leaving.
They texted all evening instead of calling.
verbtransitive
Used as the -ed form in passive or perfect forms, meaning a message was sent to someone by phone.
Grammar: Used after has/have or was: she has texted him twice; he was texted by the school.
Patterns
- be texted by someone
- have texted someone
Parents were texted about the early closing time.
I have already texted the plumber twice.
He was texted a reminder the night before.
Word forms
| base form | text |
|---|---|
| third person singular | texts |
| -ing form | texting |
Common combinations
- texted back
- She texted back within a minute.
- texted me
- He texted me a photo of the dog.
- texted while driving
- The driver admitted he texted while driving.
- texted a friend
- I texted a friend to ask for advice.
Synonyms and how they differ
- messaged
- It is broader and includes chat apps, while texted usually means a standard phone text message.
- sent a message
- It is longer but works for any kind of message, not just phone text.
- SMSed
- It is more technical and far less common in everyday speech.
Word family
Commonly confused: texted or textured?
texted vs textured
Textured describes a surface with a feel or pattern, as in textured paint; it does not relate to messages.
Practice
Yesterday I ______ my sister to ask when the train arrived.
Choose one answer.
'Yesterday' shows a finished past time, so the simple past texted fits. Have texted does not normally combine with a finished time like yesterday.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “texted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.