Are you missing your best friend and want to let them know you are thinking about them? Perhaps you need a quick and short way to express your deepest affection to the one you love? Maybe you just want to be affectionate without typing out a whole poem. Well, sending “lmy” lets the recipient know that you care and are thinking about them. Offering short, sweet love messages such as LMY is an easy way to stay connected online or over text. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
LYM has a few different meanings that are common on modern chatting platforms. Love you so much, and love you more are two of the top meanings of the phrase. It can also stand for losing your mind or leave your mark depending on the context of the conversation. In certain contexts, it is also used as a shorthand way of saying like your mom.
Like with more chat shorthand terms, context is the only way to really understand the meaning of any phrase used. Using LYM without any context may cause it to be misunderstood. At the same time, it is usually understood to mean a form of affection unless the term is used between friends in a different context more often. More information can be found in the video (here).
Example Usage
Love you so much:
“Hey Jenny, it’s been so long since we last spoke, LYM, call me soon”.
“My heart is on fire because I LYM, it feels like I will explode”.
“Thanks for everything you do for me, I LYM”.
“You say you love me a lot, but I LYM, and never forget it”.
Leave your mark:
“When you hit the dance floor give it all you got, make sure to LYM on the crowd”.
“The best way to get promoted is to LYM during your employee evaluation interviews”.
“If you want to stand out from the crowd, do something that will LYM on the world”.
“Stand brave and LYM on the graduating class with your valedictorian speech”.
Lose your mind”
“This newest batch of students will make you LYM, they are really out of touch with reality”.
“The new hit album Shakira released will make you LYM for sure”.
Origin
There are theories that LMY may have been a mistyped form of IMY, meaning “I miss you.” Over time, the abbreviated text has evolved into LMY as both have similar meanings and purposes for their sender. Like most chat and online shorthand or abbreviations, LYM became popular in the late 90s and early 2000. It was found in print online as early as the advent of AOL messenger but was seen even earlier on text messaging. There is no one specific source of the phrase LMY, instead, it seems to have originated organically in various places with the widespread use of messenger services.
Phrases Similar to LMY
- IMY – I Miss You
- IMU – I Miss You, with “u” substituting “you.”
- IMYSM – I Miss You So Much
- IMYA – I Miss You Already
- IMY2 – I Miss You Too
- ILY – I Love You
Phrases Opposite to LMY
The opposite of LMY is IHU, which stands for "I Hate You." It’s often used sarcastically in a comedic sense rather than literal. Other opposite phrases:
- HML - Hate my Life
- H8TBU - Hate to be You
What is the correct saying?
- LMY - love and miss you
Ways People May Incorrectly Say LMY
LMY is used for a variety of meanings, so the context is important when trying to send it to another person. For example, if you want to say “like your mom”, the prior conversation would need to speak about a similar topic. The same goes for using the phrase in a romantic sense. For example, if you are speaking about something that would make someone crazy, it would not make sense for a person to understand LMY as “love you more”.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase LMY
- “You are always thinking about me, LYM!”
- “The sound of cicadas will make you LYM”
- “My grandma has an outfit just LYM, it’s so cute!”