What Is an Acronym? | Examples & Definition
An acronym is a word that is an abbreviation for a phrase—such as the name of an organization—formed from letters in that phrase, typically the initial letters of each word.
For instance, NASA is an acronym that stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the word “radar” originates from an acronym for “radio detection and ranging.”
You can use QuillBot’s free AI acronym generator to help you devise a catchy acronym for your project, business, campaign, or creative idea.
Acronym definition
Strictly speaking, the term acronym refers to an abbreviation that’s pronounced as a word. So “scuba” is an acronym for “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus,” while “BBC” is an initialism for “British Broadcasting Corporation,” not an acronym, because it’s pronounced as a series of initial letters.
Many acronyms are contrived; that is, devised at the same time as the phrase they’re abbreviating to produce a particularly memorable or relevant word. For instance, CAPTCHA is a contrived acronym for completely automated public Turing test to tell computers and humans apart, a technical term for a test used to verify that an internet user is a real person.
Acronym examples
The following table contains five commonly used acronyms and their meanings.
| Acronym | What it stands for | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| SMART | Specific, measurable, assignable, realistic, and time-bound | A mnemonic to help people remember a set of criteria for goal setting |
| Laser | Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation | Originally a technical abbreviation for devices that emit a particular kind of light, “laser” has become a standard word, capitalized in the normal way (e.g., “A laser pointer”). |
| FANBOYS | For, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so | A mnemonic to help people remember words that are classified as coordinating conjunctions |
| RICE | Rest, ice, compression, and elevation. | A mnemonic to help people remember a method for treating soft tissue injuries such as an ankle sprain |
| GIF | Graphics interchange format | A name for a bitmap image format |
Acronym vs abbreviation
An acronym is a type of abbreviation, which is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Other forms of abbreviation include representing a single word by its first and last letters (e.g., Rd. for “Road”) and initialisms (e.g., USA for “United States of America”).
Frequently asked questions about acronyms
- What is SPAM an acronym for?
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The word spam, meaning unsolicited digital messages, is not a true acronym. The term came about as a reference to a Monty Python sketch that features the word “SPAM” many times. The sketch is set in a café, and a customer becomes increasingly annoyed that everything on the menu contains the meat product SPAM and that the other characters in the sketch keep repeating this word.
SPAM is a brand name, which is believed to be short for “spiced ham.” Therefore, “spam” is a portmanteau rather than a true acronym.
QuillBot’s free AI acronym generator will help you devise memorable acronyms for your creative ideas.
- What is THINK an acronym for?
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The acronym THINK is a mnemonic to help people remember a set of guidelines for respectful communication. It stands for true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, and kind.
Why not use QuillBot’s free AI acronym generator to help you think up a memorable acronym for your creative idea?
- What is SOP an acronym for?
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The acronym SOP stands for “standard operating procedure” and typically refers to a set of instructions for completing a routine task within an organization.
QuillBot’s free AI acronym generator is a handy tool when you need to think up a catchy acronym for a project or creative idea.
- What is STEAM an acronym for?
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The acronym STEAM stands for the subjects science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
If you need to create an acronym for your project or creative idea, QuillBot’s free AI acronym generator is the perfect place to start.
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Challenger, T. (2025, August 11). What Is an Acronym? | Examples & Definition. Quillbot. Retrieved August 11, 2025, from http://qbot.seotoolbuy.com/blog/definitions/what-is-an-acronym/
