instant message

[ in-stuhnt mes-ij ]

noun
  1. an electronic message sent in real time via the internet and therefore immediately available for display on the recipient's screen.: Compare text message.

verb (used without object)
  1. to send such an electronic message. Abbreviation: IM: Compare text (def. 16).

Origin of instant message

1
First recorded in 1980–85

word story For instant message

See internet.

Words Nearby instant message

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use instant message in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for instant message

instant message

noun
  1. a message sent using instant-messaging technology

verbinstant-message
  1. to send an instant message (to)

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