BF

BF (noun / Internet & Text Slang)

(Also heard as: bf, Bf)

Definition:

Boyfriend. Pure shortcut. It’s just what folks type when they want to bring up the guy they’re dating without wasting thumb energy spelling the whole thing out.

Where It Comes From:

This goes straight back to the ancient days of AOL Instant Messenger, MSN, and 160-character limits on Nokia bricks. When sending a single text cost actual money and multi-tapping number pads took forever, shortening relationship titles down to two letters was common sense. We kept it because old texting habits never really fade.

How People Actually Use It:

You bump into it constantly across group texts, Instagram stories, Reddit relationship threads, and casual office Slack banter. It almost always means a romantic partner, though context still counts—in gaming lobbies it can mean Battlefield, and every now and then somebody drops it as best friend (though most folks write BFF for that).

Examples in the Wild:

• “My BF is picking up takeout on his way home from work.”

  Translation: The guy I’m dating is grabbing dinner for us.

• “Wait, did you end up meeting Sarah’s new BF at the barbecue?”

  Translation: Did you get introduced to Sarah’s boyfriend?

• “Borrowing my BF’s oversized hoodie because mine is in the wash.”

  Translation: Stealing my partner’s warm clothes again.

Similar Slang: GF (Girlfriend), SO (Significant Other), Bae, Partner, Mans, Beau