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

His company, Emails and SMS LLC, focuses on making email marketing a powerful tool for success. —Grace Butler, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024

However, modern text messages often do not use SMS and are transmitted using other systems, such as Apple's iMessage and Google Messages. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024

However, none of this works when an Android user texts an iPhone (or vice versa) because Apple didn't support RCS and used the older SMS standard. —Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 28 Oct. 2024

This has been seen distributed by email and also using SMS text messages. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Short Message Service

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above