TL;DR
abbreviation / noun /ˌtiː.ɛl.diː.ɑːr/ — Too Long; Didn't Read — a brief summary of a long piece
Definition
Too Long; Didn't Read — both an admission that one did not engage with a lengthy piece of content and a format for providing a brief summary at the top or bottom. 'TL;DR: the meeting was a disaster.'
Beyond the definition
TL;DR is the internet's acknowledgment that attention is finite. It's both a criticism (you wrote too much) and a service (here is what matters). The best TL;DRs make you want to read the full thing.
Origin & history
Reddit culture: summaries at the end of long posts. The semicolon in TL;DR is itself a piece of internet grammar — the conjunction of two equal clauses. Became a standard format across all online writing.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
TL;DR: they're breaking up, the company is collapsing, and everyone was right.
The best TL;DR tells you enough to know whether you need the rest.
He wrote a two-thousand-word email and then added a TL;DR that said everything.
How to use it
Follow this entry’s examples for grammatical form and sentence placement.
Choose “TL;DR” when the meaning fits your context: Too Long; Didn't Read — both an admission that one did not engage with a lengthy piece of content and a format for providing a brief summary at the top or bottom. 'TL;DR: the meeting was a disaster.'
Synonyms
summary, the short version, in brief
Antonyms
read the whole thing, full context
Related words
TL;DR vs executive summary
TL;DR is a casual, punchy summary for online readers. Executive summary is a formal, professional document meant to provide a briefing for decision-makers.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Leader Reviewing Simple Geometric Diagrams
An experienced team leader reviews a map and architectural model with two attentive colleagues at a table.
The model simplifies complex information into an ordered structure. A TL;DR provides a similar summary, distilling lengthy and complex realities into a single, digestible point so the essential information can be understood quickly without engaging every detail.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "TL;DR" mean?
TL;DR is abbreviation / noun meaning: Too Long; Didn't Read — a brief summary of a long piece. Too Long; Didn't Read — both an admission that one did not engage with a lengthy piece of content and a format for providing a brief summary at the top or bottom. 'TL;DR: the meeting was a disaster.'
Where does the word "TL;DR" come from?
Reddit culture: summaries at the end of long posts. The semicolon in TL;DR is itself a piece of internet grammar — the conjunction of two equal clauses. Became a standard format across all online writing.