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  • IMO
    IMO
    abbreviation
    in my (honest/humble) opinion.
  • Imo
    Imo
    noun
    a state of SE Nigeria. Capital: Owerri. Pop:3 934 899 (2006). Area: 5100 sq km (1969 sq miles)

IMO

American  
Also imo, or IMHO

abbreviation

  1. in my (honest/humble) opinion.

IMO 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. text messaging in my opinion

  2. International Maritime Organization

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Imo 2 British  
/ ˈiːməʊ /

noun

  1. a state of SE Nigeria. Capital: Owerri. Pop:3 934 899 (2006). Area: 5100 sq km (1969 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of IMO

First recorded in 1980–85; from its use in digital communications

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The industry has spent billions in recent years building green-friendly vessels, but the IMO plan will hurt their bottom line.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Mr. Trump will have to keep a close watch on the IMO if he wants these plans to succeed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The IMO has information that some ships have started to sail but that it still needed to verify this as "some ships turn off their identification systems in order not to be targeted", he said.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Even so, she has ditched Max in favour of IMO, a less popular US-made app that has encryption.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

According to "The Economist", the IMO believes that half of all incidents remain untold.

From Crime and Corruption by Vaknin, Samuel

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.