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 Nho confirmed that Nothing Chats supports SMS, however, so group SMS messaging should still work. Wes Davis, The Verge, 14 Nov. 2023 How to fight spam on Android’s Messages For Android users, Google’s Messages should be their default platform for both SMS and RCS texts. David Nield, Popular Science, 1 Nov. 2023 An early-bird ticket sale will kick off imminently, with e-newsletter and SMS text subscribers receiving first access. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2023 Creative agencies can’t just blast their ads and hope for the best anymore, but performance marketers often operate in first-party data like email lists, SMS numbers and trackable affiliate links. Erik Huberman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2023 Travelers in Israel were advised to dial 104 for information or contact the Home Front Command on WhatsApp or by SMS at +972 52 910 4104. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 12 Oct. 2023 Multi-factor authentication verifies your identity by using different methods, such as SMS texts, authenticator apps, or physical keys. Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, 17 Sep. 2023 Always redirect password recovery, always redirect SMS, if it’s required, to there. Catherine Stupp, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2023 Mandiant said in a blog analysis published Thursday the group uses SMS text phishing and phone calls to help desks to attempt to obtain password resets or multifactor bypass codes. Ken Ritter, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'SMS.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 28 Nov. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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