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Have you been seeing "LFG" pop up in tons of messages and tweets lately? Read on to learn about all the definitions of this increasingly popular internet acronym.
Looking For Group, and More
The most common definition of LFG is "looking for group." Many people on the internet use the acronym to look to team up in online multiplayer games. For example, if you're in the middle of playing a massively multiplayer online game (MMO), a player near you might type "LFG level 60+" to indicate that they would like to team up with other players that are at least level 60. However, this term has since spread to people who are looking for non-gaming groups.
Another reasonably common definition for LFG is "let's fucking go" or "let's freaking go." Internet users will post this acronym on social media or direct messages to inspire or motivate others. For example, someone might text you, "You're going to nail that job interview! LFG!" That message can cheer you on a nerve-wracking endeavor.
To figure out which definition someone uses in a particular sentence, you need to watch out for context clues. When "LFG" means "looking for group," people usually follow it with the type of group they're looking for or a set of criteria. When it means "let's freaking go," it usually has some other motivational message accompanying it or ends with an exclamation mark.
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A Brief History of LFG
The earliest definition for LFG on the internet slang repository Urban Dictionary dates back to 2002 and reads, "Looking for group." The entry also includes a reference to EverQuest, widely considered the first successful MMO. This suggests that LFG has likely been in use for at least several years, because EverQuest first launched in 1999. People would type "LFG" in chat when looking for guilds or groups to perform quests with.
There's also a secondary definition for LFG in gaming, which is "looking for girlfriend." This particular meaning also emerged in the MMO community as a humorous way to look for partners inside online games. Many MMOs had wedding and marriage systems, so players essentially used LFG to parody the real meaning of "looking for group."
On the other hand, the first entry for LFG that refers to "let's freaking go" was in 2010. The acronym started in texts across college campuses as part of partying culture. It later spread to the broader internet, gaining use in conversations relating to sports, music, gaming, and other pockets of the web. It was even later adopted as the informal slogan of the US women's national soccer team, which won the FIFA World Cup in 2019.
LFG as "let's freaking go" has since become widespread in texts among friends as a way to excite or "hype up" one another about a particular event or situation. For example, a group of friends who are about to go on a trip together might send a message that reads, "It's going to be a great vacation! LFG!" It's also become common in the cryptocurrency community to excite others about sudden price increases for crypto coins.
Games, Guilds, and Groups
LFG continues to be used widely in all kinds of online gaming communities. If you're part of an active Discord server for a multiplayer title like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, or Apex Legends, you'll see heaps of people posting an "LFG" to look for groups of other users to play with. Depending on the game, playing with others tends to have many benefits, such as more effective coordination against other teams and the opportunity to complete challenging levels.
LFG has also gained widespread use in enthusiast communities for fantasy and science-fiction worlds. One of the largest spaces on the internet that uses the acronym is the r/LFG subreddit, a community for people who play tabletop games such as Dungeons & Dragons. Since these games often involve specific-sized groups, gamemasters or GMs will post an "LFG" to find players who can join, whether it's an in-person game or online.
You'll see LFG on many social media websites, including Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit. For example, someone who's looking for a group of people to do morning yoga with might tweet, "LFG: Morning yoga, 7 am." If a student is searching for a group to have a study session with, they might post on their Instagram Stories, "LFG to study math with!"
How to Use LFG
If you want to use LFG to mean "let's freaking go," don't forget that this is a very informal slang term. Save it for personal conversations with your friends.
Here are a few examples of LFG as "let's freaking go" in action:
- "I know you're going to crush that test. LFG!"
- "Let's go out there and win the game, LFG!"
- "LFG guys! This trip is going to be amazing!"
On the other hand, if you want to use LFG to mean "looking for group," use it in scenarios where you're looking for a group of people to do an activity with.
Here are some examples of "looking for group" as LFG:
- "LFG: A book club for romance novels!"
- "LFG: Level 85 Wizard character, for the Demonic Dungeon."
- "LFG: Dungeons and Dragons campaign, all-ages."
Do you want to learn a few other internet acronyms? Check out our guides on GG, TBH, and OC, and you'll be an internet speak expert in no time.
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