The abbreviation, which also appears as AKA and a.k.a., is often used figuratively and facetiously: “my cousin, aka the worst gossip in the neighborhood.”
First recorded in 1945–50
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Since the dawn of writing, we’ve used a little trick called symbolic reasoning, aka math.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
Harding, aka Cat Cavelli, is a singer-songwriter and native of Ireland.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026
It "fails on the actual main goal: creating one true standard across Europe that creates legal certainty for our startups", since it defers legal authority to national courts, "aka 27 flavours of interpretation", it said.
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
Theroux spoke to some of the space's most prominent figures - including UK streamer Harrison Sullivan, aka HS TikkyTokky, who is seen arguing with Theroux over claims he promotes misogynist views.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
That’s always what people think when you come from “the ’Wood,” aka the Rosewood low-income housing projects.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
