emoticon

noun

emo·​ti·​con i-ˈmō-ti-ˌkän How to pronounce emoticon (audio)
plural emoticons
: a group of keyboard characters (such as :-)) that typically represents a facial expression or suggests an attitude or emotion and that is used especially in computerized communications (such as email) compare emoji

Examples of emoticon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Published in 2012, the text leaps, runs on, includes emoticons and ignores punctuation, just like DMs and text messages. Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024 When reached for comment by Fortune about his exclusion from Reddit’s S-1 filing, Ohanian replied with a shrug emoticon: ¯_(ツ)_/¯. Reddit declined to comment. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024 The humble emoji—and its older cousin, the emoticon—has infiltrated the corporate world, especially in tech. Lora Kelley, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2023 Ellison replied with a sad-face emoticon, which seemed to have understated her emotional volatility. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for emoticon 

Word History

Etymology

emotion + icon

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of emoticon was in 1987

Dictionary Entries Near emoticon

Cite this Entry

“Emoticon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emoticon. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

emoticon

noun
emo·​ti·​con i-ˈmō-ti-ˌkän How to pronounce emoticon (audio)
: a group of characters (as :-) for a smile) that suggests an attitude or facial expression

More from Merriam-Webster on emoticon

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!