AMA

AMA stands for “ask me anything.” It’s an open Q&A where one person invites everyone to send in questions and answers as many as they can.

What AMA means

Dictionary.com defines it as an online interview where users can submit any question through comments or live chat, and says it’s also used as a prompt inviting questions. The classic format: someone posts “I’m a lighthouse keeper, AMA,” and strangers fire away. Celebrities, scientists, politicians and people with unusual jobs all do them.

It’s spread well beyond Reddit. Brands host AMAs on Discord and X, teachers run them for classes, and companies hold internal “AMA with the CEO” sessions. In casual chat, “AMA” can just mean “go ahead, ask me.”

Examples

• “I worked at a theme park for six summers. AMA.”
• “The author is doing an AMA on Thursday at 6 p.m.”
• “Just got back from Japan, AMA about the trip.”

Where it came from

AMA comes from Reddit’s r/IAmA community, founded in May 2009. The name stands for “I am a ___, ask me anything,” and every post follows that pattern. Participants have to prove they are who they say they are.

The format went mainstream in 2012. Barack Obama did an AMA on August 29, 2012, while campaigning for re-election, and the traffic took down parts of Reddit. Bill Gates has done several since.

Not to be confused with

AMA has plenty of other meanings: the American Medical Association, the American Music Awards and, in hospitals, “against medical advice.” Context almost always makes it clear.

Related terms

• DM: a direct message, for questions you’d rather ask privately.
• TL;DR: the short version.
• IYKYK: if you know, you know.

See more terms like this in our internet slang guide.