OT

What Does OT Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

OT means "Off Topic" and "Overtime."

Off Topic

On social media and chat forums, OT often means "off topic." For example:

• Please keep your comments on-topic. Any OT discussion will be deleted.
• We should start a new thread for this topic since it's going OT from the original post.

Overtime

OT also means "overtime." In this context, it is used to refer to extra time played at the end of a sports match, or time worked outside normal working hours. For example:

• The referee made a controversial call in OT that changed the outcome of the game.
• I get paid time-and-a-half for any OT that I work.

Image for OT

When I write OT, I mean this:

"Off Topic"

Summary of Key Points for the First Definition

"Off Topic" is a common definition for OT on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

OT
Definition:	Off Topic
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	3: Guessable
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Summary of Key Points for the Second Definition

"Overtime" is another common definition for OT.

OT
Definition:	Overtime
Type:	Word
Guessability:	3: Guessable
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

An Academic Look at OT

OT is an initialism abbreviation. It is the type of abbreviation that consists of the first letter of each word in a phrase or name and that is pronounced by saying each letter separately, rather than pronouncing the abbreviation as a word, i.e., "O-T." Other examples of initialism abbreviations include "FBI" (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and "CEO" (Chief Executive Officer). Initialisms differ from acronyms, which are abbreviations that are pronounced as words, rather than by saying each letter separately. For example, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is pronounced as "NA-sa" and UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) is pronounced as "Yoo-ni-sef".

Example of OT Used in a Text

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