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.
Tobias Gough, aka “Hot Podium Guy” is a regular bit-part character keeping calm and carrying on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Also of note, Paramount recently added all five seasons of “The Bureau” — aka “Le Bureau des Légendes” — the original French series that “The Agency” was adapted from.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
A few months ago, seeking a mechanic to mod my Corolla, I was referred to an auto shop in Garden Grove aka Little Saigon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
"YouTube is where we all go to learn," says Dr Tom Crawford, aka Tom Rocks Maths, who shares maths skills with his 250,000 subscribers on YouTube, which is included in the ban.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Quinton’s room is located in the ICU of the Department of Supernatural Health, aka the Intense Curses Unit.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Among those charged in the newly unsealed indictment is Cameron Lockett, 23, a.k.a.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
“I have informed my agents that I will not be performing at the Freedom 250 event,” “Bust a Move” rapper Young MC, a.k.a.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios occupies a former service station on 11th Street — a.k.a.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
In “The Mask,” also released in 1994, he played mobster Dorian Tyrell, antagonist to Jim Carrey’s Stanley Ipkiss, a.k.a. the Mask.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
He always gave in when me and Natasha said the winner got a Freeze Cup—frozen Kool-Aid in a Styrofoam cup—or a pack of “Nileators,” a.k.a.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
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.
