noun
ASL
ASL (noun) means American Sign Language: the sign language used by deaf communities in the United States and much of Canada, with its own grammar and vocabulary rather than being signed English. Example: “She interpreted the ceremony in ASL.”
noun
1
American Sign Language: the sign language used by deaf communities in the United States and much of Canada, with its own grammar and vocabulary rather than being signed English.
"She interpreted the ceremony in ASL."
phrase
1
informal Age, sex, location: an old chatroom question asking a stranger for those three details.
"Every conversation opened with "asl?" back then."
adverb
1
slang A written respelling of "as hell," used to intensify: tired asl.
"That exam was hard asl."
How to use ASL
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUsually American Sign Language; in chat it can mean "age, sex, location" or "as hell."
When to use it
Capitalised ASL for the language; the slang intensifier is normally lower-case.
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Etymology
An initialism with several unrelated expansions; the sign-language sense is the oldest and most widely referenced in writing.
Frequently asked questions
What does ASL stand for?
Most often American Sign Language. In older chatrooms it meant "age, sex, location," and in current slang it is written as a respelling of "as hell," as in "tired asl."
Is ASL the same as English?
No. American Sign Language is a full language with its own grammar and word order — it is not English rendered in signs, and it is not universal; other countries have their own sign languages.
What is the meaning of ASL?
"ASL" (noun) means american Sign Language: the sign language used by deaf communities in the United States and much of Canada, with its own grammar and vocabulary rather than being signed English.
What are the different meanings of ASL?
"ASL" has 3 main meanings: 1. American Sign Language: the sign language used by deaf communities in the United States and much of Canada, with its own grammar and vocabulary rather than being signed English; 2. Age, sex, location: an old chatroom question asking a stranger for those three details; 3. A written respelling of "as hell," used to intensify: tired asl.
