IRL

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in real life (in contrast with communication and interaction online or in a fictional situation): I play online video games with people I've never met IRL.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

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Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

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Origin of IRL

From its use in digital communications

Words nearby IRL

iris shutter, iritis, irk, irksome, Irkutsk, IRL, IRM, Irma, Irminger Current, IRO, iroko

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use IRL in a sentence

So, for $4.99 IRL, you can acquire 5,000 Kardashian dollars—enough to purchase four of the aforementioned sleeveless tees.
Inside ‘Kim Kardashian: Hollywood’: The Reality Star’s Aspirational App and Vainest Project Yet|Frances McInnis|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And while Garfield is merely pretending to have superhero strength and agility, he and Stone are actually dating IRL.
Real-Life Couples on Screen: Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, Brangelina, and More|Amy Zimmerman|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But you will have to take her word on that, as she says she is too busy to meet a reporter IRL.
Meet LittleRedBunny, the Queen of Cam Girls|Richard Abowitz|March 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But once I began to climb the learning curve, I found myself meeting the kinds of people I might have asked out had we met IRL.
Not Finding Love Online: Dan Slater’s Adventures in Algorithm Dating|Dan Slater|February 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In a moment he's onto Emil, an' begins to w'irl his hypnotic rope.
Faro Nell and Her Friends|Alfred Henry Lewis

British Dictionary definitions for IRL

IRL

abbreviation for

text messaging in real life

Ireland (international car registration)

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