loll
Meaning
As internet slang, LOLL means "laugh out loud literally," a stronger spin on LOL. As an English verb, to loll is to lounge or hang loosely in a relaxed way.
Meanings of “loll”
LOLL is an internet / texting acronym for "Laugh Out Loud Literally," used when someone wants to stress that they are actually laughing, not just typing a polite LOL (CyberDefinitions).1
- Tone
- Informal chat, texts, and social comments; adults and teenagers in CyberDefinitions' typical-user note.
- Where you’ll see it
- Searches for loll definition or loll slang often want this chat sense. CyberDefinitions says the extra L ("literally") was added because plain LOL lost force through overuse. It is not the same string as a single LOL, and it is unrelated to the dictionary verb except by spelling coincidence in lowercase.
Examples
- Did you see my brother's self-haircut? LOLL.
- She sent LOLL after the cat knocked the cup over, then a photo of her laughing.
- I typed LOLL so you'd know I wasn't fake-laughing at the joke.
Examples are written for this site to show typical use. They are not quotes.
To lie, sit, or lean in a relaxed, lazy, or informal way; to lounge (Cambridge; Dictionary.com).23
- Tone
- Neutral everyday English; slightly literary or descriptive in polished prose.
- Where you’ll see it
- What does loll mean in ordinary English is usually this verb: people loll on sofas, teens loll around on phones, sunbathers loll on the grass. Dictionary.com dates the word to Middle English lollen / lullen (1300–50).
Examples
- Teenagers loll around playing on their phones.
- She lolled in an armchair after the long flight.
- We spent the afternoon lolling on the carpet in pajama pants.
To hang loosely, droop, or dangle; also transitive, to let something hang that way (Cambridge; Dictionary.com). Often used of a tongue lolling out.23
- Tone
- Neutral; common in descriptive writing.
- Where you’ll see it
- A dog with its tongue lolling out is the textbook image. Heads can loll onto a shoulder on a bus; plants or fabric can loll when they droop. Same verb family as the lounge sense, different physical picture.
Examples
- The dog stood in the heat with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.
- The patient lay with her mouth open, her tongue lolling out.
- His head lolled against the train window as he dozed.
Usage notes
- LOLL (slang) vs loll (verb): same letters in lowercase, different jobs. In all caps in a chat, LOLL almost always means Laugh Out Loud Literally. In a sentence like "dogs loll their tongues," it is the English verb.
- LOLL vs LOL: CyberDefinitions treats LOLL as an intensified LOL—"literally" flags real laughter after LOL became a weak default reply.
- Do not confuse with lolz / lololol stretch forms; those are playful elongations of LOL, not the same documented acronym expansion.
- Dictionary.com also lists archaic noun senses (the act of lolling; a person or thing that lolls); everyday searches rarely need those.
Origin
Dictionary.com: first recorded 1300–50, Middle English lollen, lullen, perhaps imitative; compared with Middle Dutch lollen "doze, sit near a fire." The chat acronym LOLL is a modern initialism built on LOL, not a descendant of the Middle English verb (CyberDefinitions).31
Sources
- LOLL — CyberDefinitions (opens in a new tab)
https://www.cyberdefinitions.com/definitions/LOLL.html
- loll — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/loll
- loll — Dictionary.com (opens in a new tab)
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/loll