What Does PTL Mean over Text and Social Media?

PDF download Download Article
Learn what PTL means in the trucking and medical industries
PDF download Download Article

PTL typically means Praise the Lord, but this handy acronym can carry different meanings across different industries, like shipping, medicine, and energy. We’ll take a closer look at how all the different definitions of PTL are used (both over text and otherwise), so you can have the full picture.

PTL Meaning in Texting

PTL is shorthand for Praise the Lord, which is often used to share relief about something. It can also be used in a Christian context, where someone is actually praising God. In really specific instances, PTL can even stand for terms like partial truckload, preterm labor, or postgraduate training license.

Section 1 of 3:

What does PTL mean over text and on social media?

PDF download Download Article
  1. Think of PTL/Praise The Lord as a digital way of saying “Thank God” or “Finally!” [1] For some people, PTL is used casually; for others, it can carry a deeper, more spiritual connotation as they use the term to literally praise God (like a prayer).
    • You might be familiar with the acronym PTL from its infamous usage in the 70s and 80s in “The PTL Club,” a famous televangelist program run by Jim Baker, a disgraced televangelist who later become a convicted felon for fraud. In this case, PTL was shorthand for “Praise the Lord” (or, alternately, “People That Love”). [2]
    2. Advertisement
Section 2 of 3:

How to Use PTL

PDF download Download Article
  1. Sometimes, you might receive a text that inspires gratitude and relief. In this type of circumstance, a tasteful “PTL” could be a great way to express your feelings.
    • Person A: “I got pulled over by a cop, but they let me off with just a warning.”
      Person B: “PTL!”
  2. If you’re a pretty religious person, adding PTL to a message can be treated like a genuine prayer to God (like getting good news about a relative in the hospital).
    • Person A: “Uncle Jay just got out of surgery. The doctors say he’ll be just fine.”
      Person B: “I’m so happy to hear that—PTL!”
    3. Advertisement
Section 3 of 3:

Alternative Meanings

PDF download Download Article
  1. In the world of shipping and freight, PTL refers to a “partial truck load,” or a shipment of freight that’s not quite enough to fill up the entire truck. An LTL (Less Than Truckload) is considered smaller than a PTL, while an FTL (Full Truckload) is considered bigger. [3]
    • Example: “Since the truck isn’t filled up all the way, I’m going to call it a PTL.”
  2. A PTL can refer to a special type of medical license that California medical students get after graduating from medical school and passing their tests. [4]
    • Person A: “So, are you able to practice medicine as a PTL?”
      Person B: “Yeah, but only when it lines up with what I already have to be doing as a resident.”
  3. Preterm Labor occurs when a pregnant individual goes into labor earlier than 37 weeks into the baby’s development. [5] In research settings, it’s sometimes abbreviated as PTL. [6]
  4. Lymphoma is a serious type of cancer that hits your lymphatic system (the part of your body that makes, holds onto, and moves white blood cells around). Occasionally, lymphoma can pop up in the thyroid gland (or, more specifically, the lymphocytes inside the thyroid), which leads to primary thyroid lymphoma. [7]
    • Example: “It’s not a good idea to rule out PTL as a potential culprit when a patient’s thyroid has an unknown mass.”
    • In research documents, primary thyroid lymphoma is sometimes abbreviated as PTL. [8]
  5.  PtL refers to a promising, eco-friendly type of liquid airplane fuel that originates from a renewable energy source. [9]
    • Example: “I’m excited to see how far PtL goes over the next decade.”
    6. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Ask God for a Financial Breakthrough: 19 Immediate Prayers
      How to
      Pray Janazah
      How to
      Do the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram
      Powerful Prayers & Spiritual Words to Send Your Love to Your Sick Dog
      How to
      Recognize and Defeat the Leviathan Spirit
      How to
      Close a Prayer (With Examples)
      How Do You Bless a House for Peace & Protection?
      How, When, and Why to Pray a Novena
      Prayers for Surgery for a Friend + Prayers for Families and Physicians
      How to
      Pray the Lutheran Rosary
      How to
      Fast and Pray for a Spiritual Breakthrough
      How to
      Say a Buddhist Prayer
      How to
      Respond when Someone Asks for Prayers
      How to
      Ask God to Forgive Your Sins & Be at Peace Again
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.allacronyms.com/PTL/Praise_The_Lord
      2. ↑ https://abcnews.go.com/US/scandals-brought-bakkers-uss-famous-televangelists/story?id=60389342
      3. ↑ https://dhl-freight-connections.com/en/logistics-dictionary/partial-truckload-ptl/
      4. ↑ https://www.mbc.ca.gov/Licensing/Postgraduate-Training-Licensees/
      5. ↑ https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/preterm-labor-and-birth
      6. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31868857/
      7. ↑ https://www.thyroid.org/primary-thyroid-lymphoma/
      8. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4192167/
      9. ↑ https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/news/2021-07-power-to-liquids-explained

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 10,795 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement