TL;DR

abbreviation or noun

ˈtē-ˈel-ˈdē-ˈär 

variants or tl;dr or less commonly TLDR or tldr

1

: too long; didn't read

—used to say that something would require too much time to read

It was 70 years ago that poet W.H. Auden published "The Age of Anxiety," a six-part verse framing modern humankind's condition over the course of more than 100 pages, and now it seems we are too rattled to even sit down and read something that long (or as the Internet would say, tl;dr—for "too long; didn't read").

—Alex Williams

2

informal : a briefly expressed main point or key message that summarizes a longer discussion or explanation

The TL;DR of all this, of course, is that you can't actually "disappear" from the Internet, even if you're a famous band. Which means that the best way to avoid unwanted digital traces may be simply to never make them.

—Caitlin Dewey

—often used interjectionally

A good Saturday [crossword puzzle] clue, in my opinion, will make your heart sink a little. It will take some work, there will be a point at which you hold your head in your hands, and then you will solve it …. So, tl;dr: By the time you get to Saturday puzzles, relinquish the idea that you won't have to look anything up. There's no shame in learning something new.

—Deb Amlen

—often used before another noun to describe something that provides summarizing information

a TL;DR video

the TL;DR version

Word History

First Known Use

2002, in the meaning defined at sense 1