SMS

abbreviation or noun

ˌes-ˌem-ˈes 

: 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

That’s why the company recommends passkeys and a strong form of two-step verification, which means anything but SMS one time codes. —Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Own your email and SMS lists and segment superfans from casual listeners. —Seth Yudof, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025

From my own journey from rural Uganda to pioneering SMS platforms and the emergence of makerspaces and research projects like AirQo, to collaborative communities that connect local innovators with global open-source networks, Africa is steadily closing the technology gap. —IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2025

Google Messages already works with T-Satellite for SMS and RCS messaging, but the upcoming data support will unlock its full capabilities, says Gavin Gee, T-Mobile’s senior director of product marketing. —PC Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Short Message Service

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above