text message

American  

noun

text messages plural

1. an electronic message sent over a cellular network from one cell phone to another by typing words, often in shortened form, as “l8t” for “late,” on the phone's numeric or QWERTY keypad.

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text message British  

noun

1. a written message sent by means of a mobile phone

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• text messages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of text message

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

text message

That text message was cited by the three judge panel that first blocked Alabama's map.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

The rapprochement usually starts out small, maybe with a text message here or there or small talk at a family event.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

Still, there was something undeniably thrilling about receiving a text message from my dog.

From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2026

“With bg. All you would have to say, is you should know that I’ve told jeffrey everything – everything,” Epstein wrote in a text message.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

“Five minutes without checking a text message is like the end of the world.”

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel