What Does 'HMU' Mean and How Do You Use It?

What Does “HMU” Mean, and How Do You Use It? Photo: Ranker Online

HMU is another one of those acronyms that you’ve probably seen online and had to Google the meaning of. People use HMU and other popular internet abbreviations like NSFW or SMH to express something that’s beyond the scope of modern language. Using these acronyms is a great way to convey your emotions online quickly and effectively.

HMU is a popular internet abbreviation. You’ll see it used in many online situations. Here’s what it means, and how you use it.

What does HMU mean?

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HMU is the abbreviation for “hit me up.” It’s a quick way to tell someone to contact you or make plans in the future. For example, you might say to a friend, “HMU when you want to play Mario Kart,” or, “HMU when you get back in town.” In most cases, HMU is used in social or informal business circles.

Some people also use HMU to convey that someone asked them for something, such as, “He HMU asking for money,” or, “She HMU for a date.” This usage aligns with the definition of “hit up,” which is common real-world slang for someone asking you for something.

It’s worth mentioning that “hit up” can also mean you want to go to a certain place. For example, you and your friends could “hit up” the Trader Joe’s. Of course, this usage doesn’t have an abbreviation, so back to the topic at hand.

The History of HMU

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The phrase “hit me up” is inseparable from ‘90s hip-hop culture. During that decade, many people (not just drug dealers) used one-way pagers to communicate with one another. “Communicate” probably isn’t the right word, though, as these devices couldn’t receive text-based messages. Instead, they received phone numbers. Someone would call (“beep”) your pager from his phone. Your pager would light up, make an audible “beep,” and the phone number that paged you would appear on the screen so you could call the person back.

“Hit up” grew out of the very specific rules of paging. Rappers used the phrase in hundreds of popular songs, and it started to have a variety of meanings. Now, the phrase is closely associated with cellphones, which are, arguably, the modern version of pagers.

The history of our little abbreviation, HMU, isn’t nearly as interesting as all that. See, it kind of came out of nowhere. HMU first appeared on Urban Dictionary in 2009 and totally exploded into popularity by the end of 2010.

According to Facebook’s 2010 Memology report, HMU went from being a rarity to the biggest trend of the year. For reference, the abbreviation wasn’t even mentioned in the 2009 Memology report.

According to Google Trends, searches for HMU peaked in 2010 and leveled out after about a year. This doesn’t necessarily mean the phrase is less popular than it used to be, though. If anything, HMU’s definition is probably being looked up less because it’s now so commonly used, most people know what it means.

How to Use HMU

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While you can say hit me up out loud without people giving you looks, the acronym HMU is reserved for online use only. There are different ways that you can use this abbreviation in your daily communication, depending on the situation and context.

Use HMU in Texting

The most common place where you’ll see other people using HMU and other similar acronyms is instant messaging apps. There aren’t any strict rules to the correct spelling of the acronym. Here are the variations that you’re most likely to see online:

HMU. Used on its own and in all capital letters to indicate the urgency of a message or contact request.

hmu. Use this version if you want to be a part of the growing trend of writing everything in lowercase letters to make it sound more casual or laid-back.

HMU in the beginning or end of the message. Integrating the acronym into your message is probably the best way to use it if you don’t want to risk another person misunderstanding you.

Use HMU to Contact People Back

HMU isn’t always used in its original form. One variation of this acronym is HYU which stands for hit you up – the opposite meaning to HMU. You can use it in a text reply to someone if you want to be the person contacting them back.

Use HMU as a GIF or Meme

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On social media, or when exchanging messages with friends, you can use GIFs or memes to convey the same meaning as HMU. Thanks to tools like GIPHY being integrated into most social media apps now, all you need to do is open the right conversation, find the option to send GIFs in the chat box and type HMU into the search bar.

If you want to add some humor to your conversation, you can search for HMU memes online and share them in a chat. Alternatively, you can create your own HMU memes using one of the special online tools.

Examples of use

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HMU is internet slang and therefore you’ll see it used in online chats, social networks, in texting, and in popular internet memes. One place you’re unlikely to see it is email, unless it’s a quick (and informal) message from someone relatively close to you.

While it’s common to use HMU to request the other person to contact you, there are other situations when people tend to use this abbreviation.

People often use HMU when flirting online. In dating apps like Tinder you can come across profile descriptions like “hmu if you like pina colada and getting caught in the rain”.

Another way to use HMU is to ask other people for ideas or suggestions. For example, if you’re looking for restaurant recommendations in a new city, you can post on social media “Where should I go for dinner in X city? Hmu with suggestions”.

Photo: Online Tech Tips

What HMU doesn’t mean

“Hold my unicorn.”

KnowYourMeme reports that back in 2010 Urban Dictionary user “UnicornLover238” responded to a forum question asking what “HMU” meant with the rather random explanation of “hold my unicorn.”

People loved it, and the alternative definition became popular in its own right. Over a five-year period, over 13,500 cheeky scamps upvoted the unicorn-themed option, making it the top-voted definition.

But no one actually uses HMU that way, though admittedly it would be a lot cooler if people did.

Photo: Free Online units Converters Tool & calculator

Where Can You Use HMU?

HMU is used online, primarily on social media websites like Twitter and Facebook, or chat apps like Snapchat or WhatsApp.

While you might say "hit me up" out loud, the acronym hasn't entered common parlance, so only use HMU online.

There are different situations in which you can use HMU. Here they are alongside examples:

Suggestion to meet up, either at a specific time or at some point in the future. For example, "We should go see that new movie! hmu when you're free."

Request for something, like asking for recommendations or opinions. For example, "Where should I go for lunch? hmu with ideas."

Flirting, to encourage conversation or a date, and can be used on dating apps like Tinder or Bumble. For example, "hmu if you like animals, travel, and gingerbread cookies."

Providing contact details, like your phone number or email address. For example, "If you want to chat, hmu on [email protected]."

When Did HMU Originate?

According to Facebook, the acronym HMU was unheard-of in early 2009. Only a couple of posts per day included it, many of which were likely typos.

Come May of that same year, the term was growing, averaging 20 posts a day. It continued to double each month. In 2010, that growth rapidly accelerated, increasing at a rate of 75 percent each month. At the end of that summer, HMU was at 80000 daily mentions.

You can also track the rise of HMU on Google Trends, which correlates with what Facebook found. The related searches for the term are all variations on "what does hmu mean", which makes sense---as mentioned, people use HMU within chats and on social media, rather than as a standard word in Google searches.

Interestingly, HMU was used evenly throughout the summer, on account of youngsters having lots of spare time on their hands. But when the kids went back to school, the term became more frequently used during weekends.

HML vs HMU

HMU means hit me up, and HML means hit my line. Both have the same or similar meaning, which makes these two synonyms. You can use either of them, and they mean the same thing. When using either HMU or HML you’re asking a person to contact you.

HMU for a TBH meaning

HMU means hit me up, and TBH means to be honest. When these two are combined into HMU for a TBH. It means that you want a person to tell you their honest opinion about you. Or, you can ask the person to tell you their honest opinion about someone else.

What does HMU with Plans mean?

HMU with plans is used when you are making arrangements with someone. When you’re not the one making all the plans you ask someone else to. Or, if someone else is making plans you ask them to share them with you.

Examples:

I heard the team is playing this weekend, and you’re one man down. HMU with plans and I can join.

We’ve got a presentation to finish by tomorrow. I’m free all day, so HMU with plans.

Denise told me she’d be in town today. HMU with plans if you’re going anywhere.

HMU with Plots meaning

When you’re plotting and scheming you often have a target in mind. A plot is an entire plan in order to achieve something. When you’re asking someone to HMU with plots you are looking for ways to achieve your goals.

Examples:

Derek has to pay for that prank he pulled on me yesterday. HMU with plots so we can get back at him.

The gang is making moves on our territory. We need to strike back. HMU with plots.

HMU with plots if you have anything on Melissa. She’s so disrespectful.

HMU with Moves meaning

Making moves is a term that means making plans to strike against someone, or an organization. It’s commonly associated with crime. When you ask someone to HMU with moves it means that you are interested in participating in the strike.

Examples:

People from uptown are taking over this street. HMU with moves, I’m down.

HMU with moves. We should jump on this chance while the iron is hot.

I think we can take them. HMU with moves, we need a game plan.

HMU to FT meaning

HMU means hit me up, and FT is short for Facetime. When you ask someone HMU for FT it means that you are asking them to give you a call via Facetime.

Examples:

• I haven’t seen you in ages. HMU for FT later.
• I can’t reach Jennifer. Can you tell her to HMU for FT later today.

What are popular social media slangs?

Nowadays people are super active on various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more. Most of the conversations on social media include various lingos or acronyms that people take a while to figure out. Acronyms like BTW, TBH, LMK, TFW, etc. are used very casually in the comments, captions and conversations between people.

So when you are having a conversation with someone on social media platforms or writing a caption or commenting, it is essential that you arm yourself with knowledge about the most common social media acronyms and slangs. This will help you understand what your audience is conveying.

In addition to this, there are various acronyms that are used in business meetings or while preparing marketing or sales reports. Hence, it makes it even more crucial to know what these stand for.

Below are a few social media slangs along with their full forms that are in trend and used frequently:

• lol - laughing out loud
• brb - be right back
• btw - by the way
• lmk - let me know
• ttyl - talk to you later
• g2g - got to go
• ootd - outfit of the day
• DM - direct message
• RT - retweet
• AMA - ask me anything
• CTA - call to action
• DYK - do you know
• FBF - flashback friday
• fomo - fear of missing out
• G2G or GTG - got to go
• HBD - Happy Birthday
• IDC - I don’t care
• FAQ - Frequently Asked Question
• Totes - totally
• Adorbs - adorable
• TBH - to be honest
• TBT - throwback Thursday

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