IRL

American

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.

IRL British

abbreviation

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

Etymology

Origin of IRL

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.

See Examples For:

IRL

That has changed in the time since online influencers have had IRL power.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

Sports franchises, and all IRL, or in real life, events are benefiting from a desire to be present.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

Everything we need to understand about what happened IRL this year is explained by what happened online.

From Slate ● Dec. 28, 2025

"International rugby league has never been more competitive and there will be genuine superstars across all groups and stages in this tournament," said IRL chairman Troy Grant.

From Barron's ● Nov. 23, 2025

I wanted to ridicule him for using chatspeak IRL, but I found myself lacking the energy.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

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