SMS

abbreviation or noun

: a technology for sending short text messages between mobile phones
Although driven by teens and young adults who seemingly aren't satisfied with online instant messaging, SMS can be very useful for sending urgent messages to family members or co-workers.Consumer Reports
often used before another noun
Creative, colorful, and sometimes perplexing, emoji add energy to SMS messages.Christina Bonnington
also : a message sent using this technology : text message
… is helping to test a device that implants sensors in cows to let farmers know when they are in heat. When that is the case, the device sends an SMS to the farmer's phone. John Tagliabue

Examples of SMS in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The test was launched during the 2024 holiday season and demonstrated that RCS more than doubled revenue per send compared to traditional SMS/MMS campaigns. Arthur Zaczkiewicz, WWD, 21 Jan. 2025 This early intervention can save companies thousands, if not millions, of dollars in SMS delivery costs. Ethan Stone, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2025 Those recipients can chat with you through said app, or receive and respond via bog-standard SMS. New Atlas, 10 Jan. 2025 WhatsApp and Signal pass the test, Telegram, RCS messages between Android and iPhone, and all SMS messages do not. Zak Doffman, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for SMS 

Word History

Etymology

Short Message Service

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of SMS was in 1991

Dictionary Entries Near SMS

Cite this Entry

“SMS.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/SMS. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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