loles

Loles is an informal internet slang term used to refer to laughter expressed in text, derived from the acronym LOL for "laugh out loud." In some online communities, "loles" functions as a plural or collective noun for multiple laughs within a message or post. The usage is playful and nonstandard, and it is not widely documented in formal reference works.

Usage and context: Loles appears in chat rooms, forums, and social media where users want to convey a stronger or more prolonged reaction than a single "lol." Because it is informal, it is typically avoided in professional or formal writing. Variants such as "lol," "LOLs," "lolz," or "lmao" are more common, and "loles" tends to be highly situational and often found in multilingual or meme-driven discussions.

Relation to other terms: Do not confuse loles with LoL, the common abbreviation for League of Legends, a popular video game. While "loles" relates to laughter, "LoL" refers to a game title, and capitalization and context determine meaning.

Origins and reception: Lole-type forms emerged with the expansion of internet slang and memes in the 2000s and 2010s. Its acceptance is uneven; some communities embrace it as lighthearted jargon, while others view it as trivial or outdated. Dictionaries rarely codify it, reflecting its informal and evolving nature.

See also: Internet slang, Laugh out loud, Meme culture, Online communication.