TL;DR
TL;DR means “too long; didn’t read.” It’s used either to complain that a text is too long or, much more often today, to introduce a short summary of a long post.
What does TL;DR mean?
TL;DR stands for “too long; didn’t read,” and it has two quite different uses. As a reply, it says you skipped someone’s long message, which can come across as blunt or even rude. As a label, it introduces a one- or two-line summary so readers can get the point quickly: “TL;DR: the update fixes the login bug.”
You’ll see it written several ways: TL;DR, TLDR, tl;dr or tldr. The semicolon is traditional but optional.
How to use TL;DR
- “TL;DR: we’re moving the party to Saturday.”
- “Long story, but tl;dr I missed my flight.”
- “TL;DR at the bottom if you don’t want the details.”
- “Tldr? I’m not reading all that.” (the dismissive use)
Where to put a TL;DR
On forums like Reddit, people often add the summary at the end of a long post. In emails and reports, put it first, so busy readers see the main point straight away.
Where TL;DR comes from
The Oxford English Dictionary traces TL;DR to a 2002 message on the Usenet newsgroup rec.games.video.nintendo. It was added to the Oxford Dictionaries Online website in 2013. Its use as a summary label grew on forums and later became a habit on Reddit.
Related terms
See more terms like this in our texting abbreviations guide.
Example sentence
TL;DR: the event is cancelled because of the weather.
Similar words
summary, in short, icymi
Notes
Spotted a mistake, or heard TL;DR used a different way? Tell us and we'll check it. Read how we write entries.