abbreviation

bbm

bee-bee-EM

Bbm (abbreviation) means BlackBerry Messenger, the instant messaging service that ran on BlackBerry phones, known for delivered and read receipts and for PIN-based contacts. It was shut down for consumers in 2019. Example: “Give me your PIN and I'll add you on BBM.”

abbreviation

BlackBerry Messenger, the instant messaging service that ran on BlackBerry phones, known for delivered and read receipts and for PIN-based contacts. It was shut down for consumers in 2019.

"Give me your PIN and I'll add you on BBM."

"Before WhatsApp took over, everyone at school was on BBM."

In Philippine usage, the initials and nickname of Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.

"BBM won the presidency by a wide margin."

informal Big beautiful man; a term used, chiefly on dating sites, for a large or heavy man, formed as the male counterpart of BBW.

"His profile says he is a BBM looking for something serious."

How to Use Bbm

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishUsually BlackBerry Messenger, an old phone chat app.

When to use it

Now mostly historical or nostalgic in the messaging sense. Meaning depends heavily on context and country.

Memory tip

If the context is phones or the 2010s, it means BlackBerry Messenger; if it is Philippine politics, it means Marcos Jr.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

BBW → BB DM →

Common pairings

add me on BBM BBM PIN BBM group BBM ping

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “bbm” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Give me your PIN and I'll add you on _____.

Etymology

An initialism of BlackBerry Messenger.

Origin: English

Frequently Asked Questions

Does BBM still work?

No. The consumer version of BlackBerry Messenger was discontinued in May 2019, and the enterprise version was retired later. Nothing about it functions today, and old PINs are dead.

What is the difference between BBM and WhatsApp?

BBM was tied to BlackBerry hardware and identified you by a PIN rather than a phone number, and it showed both delivered (D) and read (R) receipts. WhatsApp is cross-platform, uses your phone number, and largely replaced BBM once BlackBerry lost market share.