OC

What Does OC Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

OC means "Of Course," "Officer Commanding," "Original Character," "Original Content," or "The Orange County."

Of Course

The abbreviation OC is often used with the meaning "Of Course" to indicate agreement.

Officer Commanding

In military circles, the abbreviation OC is used with the meaning "Officer Commanding." In the army, an officer in command of a grouping such as a platoon or company would usually be referred to as the OC, whilst the abbreviation CO (Commanding Officer), is normally used to refer to commanders of battalions or regiments.

Original Character

In fanfiction, OC stands for "Original Character." In this context, an OC is a character created by an author or roleplayer, that does not belong to the canon cast, but is unofficially introduced into a story.

Original Content

OC is also used to mean "Original Content." In this context, OC refers to material that has been created by the publisher (e.g., an internet meme, music, song lyrics).

The Orange County

"The O.C." ("The Orange County") was the title of a TV series set in Newport Beach, Orange County, California. The series, which aired from 2003 to 2007, was about the relationships between the affluent teenage residents of the seaside city.

Image for OC

When I write OC, I mean this:

OC also means "Officer Commanding," "Original Content," "Original Character," and "The Orange County."

Summary of Key Points

We have summarized the key points in the table below:

OC
Definition:	Of Course
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Second Definition for OC

OC also means "Officer Commanding." This is the most common definition for OC in military circles.

OC
Definition:	Officer Commanding
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Specialists

Third Definition for OC

OC also means "Original Character." This is a common definition for OC in fanfiction.

OC
Definition:	Original Character
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Fourth Definition for OC

OC also means "Original Content." This is another common definition for OC in texting and on messaging apps like Instagram and TikTok.

OC
Definition:	Original Content
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Fifth Definition for OC

OC also means "The Orange County."

OC
Definition:	The Orange County
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Examples of OC in Sentences

Here are examples of OC in conversations:

• Pupil: My dog ate my homework.
• Teacher: OC it did. Tell your dog that it has 30 minutes detention after school.
(Here, OC means "Of Course.")

• Soldier: Where's the OC?
• Sergeant: He's in the rear, with the gear.
(Here, OC means "Officer Commanding.")

• Hilary: He claims that his blog is all OC.
• Sheila: It is. It was all originally someone else's.
(Here, OC means "Original Content.")

An Academic Look at OC

As it is pronounced using its individual letters (i.e., "Oh See"), OC is an initialism abbreviation. Initialisms are different to acronyms, which are spoken like words.

Example of OC Used in a Text

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