Online Dating Lingo | Terms to Lookout For in the Online Dating Scene

Expand your online dating vocabulary by learning what 6 of the most common online dating terms mean.

People who are new to the online dating scene might find it overwhelming just because of how different it is to conventional methods of dating. Just the slang alone can put your head in a spin. There are just too many colloquial terms that you probably wouldn’t want to bother learning any of them. However, it does give you better insight on how everyone else dates and how to effectively connect with someone online. Besides, you might have to learn them anyway because some potential matches might use these words in your conversation.

While you may not come across all of them, here are some terms you might encounter soon enough:

• Bae

Most people mistake this term as the shortened version of “baby.” But the truth is that ‘bae’ is actually an acronym that stands for “before anyone else.” As you would expect, this term of endearment was made popular by millennials and teenagers who refer to their boyfriends and girlfriends as ‘bae’.

But today, this term has so many uses already. It could now be used to refer to an attractive man. So as you venture into the online dating scene, make sure to keep an eye out for this term.

• DTR

This acronym stands for “define the relationship.” You might come across this term after you’ve gone on a couple of dates with some foreign ladies for quite some time. Either one of you can bring this up to put a label on your relationship or at least take it to the next level.

• IRL

When you’ve found that special woman you met online (or through a professional matchmaker) and have been communicating with her for some time now, then it’s time for you to meet IRL or in real life. This is also useful for other situations, like giving compliments. For example, you can tell your date that she looks more beautiful IRL.

• Sliding into DMs

For those that don’t know, DM is the abbreviation for direct message. There are some users on social media that prefer to send messages to other users before sending them invites or following their profiles. But these days, it’s become synonymous with flirting online.

• Tuning

Tuning is another term for flirting. However, instead of the usual pick-up line or conversation starter, you start off by commenting more specifically, such as her hobbies, interests, profile picture, etc. The specificity is what separates sliding into DMs and tuning.

• Meetcute

You usually hear this term in movies, specifically for romantic comedies. It refers to the quirky and slightly comical way the male and female leads meet for the first time. However, couples have now been using this term to describe how they met. You too can share your meetcute when finding a foreign girlfriend.

Whenever you interact with foreign ladies looking for love, be prepared to come across some of these terms. At least when you hear them, you wouldn’t be completely lost and unaware of what it means and maybe even use them in conversations. Speaking of meeting foreign ladies, join one of singles tours to finally meet your ideal woman.