SMS

abbreviation or noun

ˌes-ˌem-ˈes

: a technology for sending short text messages between mobile phones

messages sent via SMS

—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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Programs also get free video and photo content, plus email and SMS marketing tools, to help drive traffic to their store and remind parents to order on time, resources many programs couldn’t otherwise afford to produce or manage on their own. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 The new hire has no way to know what was discussed with a client six months ago, how many samples were developed for a particular buyer, or how many of those samples ultimately converted into SMS. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 24 Aug. 2026 RingEx's starter Core plan ($20 per user per month, billed annually) supports unlimited calling to Canada and the US, a 100-call toll-free limit, video chats for up to 200 people, and 25 SMS messages per person per month. — John Brandon, PC Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026 Glide's longer-term goal is to move supported users away from SMS authentication rather than leaving text messages available as the easy fallback. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for SMS

Word History

Etymology

Short Message Service

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of SMS was in 1991

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

smry

SMS

SMSA

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“SMS.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/SMS. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

SMS

abbreviation or noun

Examples of SMS in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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