What Does “Meirl” Mean?

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Learn what this popular internet slang means and how to use it
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You’re scrolling through social media when you notice a friend shared a funny photo of some celebrity with the caption “meirl.” Huh? What does that even mean? Online, “meirl” or “Me IRL” is slang for “me in real life.” People use this abbreviation when they relate to something and want to quickly say, “Totally me!” Keep reading to learn more about this fun slang term and how to use it yourself.

Things You Should Know

  • “Meirl” or “Me IRL” means “me in real life.”
  • People use "meirl” as a way of saying, "I relate to that."
  • Send a friend a silly image or GIF and “meirl” to say, “This is totally me. I'm like this."
Section 1 of 4:

What does “meirl” stand for?

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  1. This popular abbreviation combines the word “me” with the internet acronym “irl,” which stands for “in real life.” [1] Some will use “meirl” or “Me IRL” to explain or emphasize that they relate to something. The abbreviation is often paired with a meme or used in response to a meme or image.
    • For example, a friend might text you an image of a dog making a silly face saying, “Meirl today,” if they’re feeling goofy or wacky.
    • A meme is an image that portrays a specific emotion or feeling. Typically, these images have graphics or words on them. [2]
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Section 2 of 4:

How to Use “Meirl”

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  1. If someone sends you an image or meme that you 100% relate to, reply with a quick “meirl” or “Me IRL” to say, “That’s totally me!”
    • “Dude, meirl for real.”
    • “Me IRL 🤣🤣🤣”
  2. Show that you feel a certain way by sending a quick meme or GIF with the message “meirl” or “Me IRL.” This lets the receiver know that your current feelings can be summed up by the image you sent.
    • “meirl 😅 I’ve never related to anything more 💀”
    • “Have you seen this? Me IRL”
    • Looking for memes and GIFs? Check out Giphy.com for relatable “meirl” images.
    • A GIF is an image file that plays a short video clip on a loop. [3]
  3. If a pal sends you a meme or other image file, send them a simple “meirl” to say, “Yep, I relate.” This is a great and easy response if you don’t know what more to say.
    • “meirl 😂”
    • “oof so true! Me IRL 🙃”
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Section 3 of 4:

“Meirl” History & Origins

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  1. Believe it or not, this slang term has been around since the beginning of the internet! “IRL” became well-known in the 1990s as chatroom and forum users looked for ways to shorthand expressions and type faster. “Me IRL” quickly started to spread after popular artist, furry, and gamer Juriann Foxtail wrote in his website’s about page, “If you look closely, it even looks like me IRL,” referring to his updated Internet persona profile. [4]
Section 4 of 4:

Other Slang Terms

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  1. Whether you’re texting or scrolling through social media, you may see some of these similar slang terms and abbreviations:
    • Cya = See you [5]
    • IRL = In real life [6]
    • IDK = I don’t know [7]
    • RL = Real life
    • Tru = True
    • OMG = Oh my gosh
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      References

      1. ↑ https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/postscript/origin-of-web-slang/
      2. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/26/crosswords/what-is-a-meme.html
      3. ↑ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/gif
      4. ↑ https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/postscript/origin-of-web-slang/
      5. ↑ https://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words04/usage/slang_internet.html
      6. ↑ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/irl
      7. ↑ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/idk?topic=conventions-used-on-the-internet-and-in-email

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