The Meaning of FTW in Online Games & Social Networking Sites

FTW has several meanings in the online world and chances are you've seen this term somewhere on the Internet. You may find that is common in online gaming, but it can also be found in text messages as well as in chat, Facebook, and even in an instant message.

FTW is an acronym that stands for For The Win. This meaning may seen obscure, what does "for the win" mean? Well, think about it. If you're in an online game and you capture the flag, you did it for the win. If you're working really hard on a paper for school, you probably want to get a good grade on it, so you worked hard on it, FTW!

It is often said in victory, but can also be said while you're working toward victory. In other words, it's something of a modern day rallying cry! Another phrase that is similar in meaning is, "Game, set, match!"

FTW doesn't just mean "for the win," it also has other, alternative meanings. While it has other meanings, it mostly means "for the win."

If you use the term and mean to say something else, the person you are talking to may think you're saying "for the win" when you're actually saying something else. This is why you'll want to make sure the person you are talking to, knows what you're talking about. Here are alternative meanings of the term FTW:

F**k the world
Free the whales
For those wondering
For the wine

Believe it or not, FTW has its origins in the television show, "Hollywood Squares." From its first usage on the popular game show, the term then spread to an online game called Defense of the Ancients (known more commonly as DotA.) This game is a spinoff of Blizzard's popular Warcraft III series.

From DotA, this word spread to other online games such as World of Warcraft. Because of the spread of the word via online games, the term is highly popular and very heavily used in the online gaming community. However, the 'FTW' can also be seen in a number of websites and social networks such as Reddit which are frequented by gamers.

Before the acronym FTW came to stand for "For the Win", it was used to mean something totally different. The term was solely used as an acronym for "f**k the world." As this previous meaning was very common (especially among motorcyclists), it took quite a while for the newer meaning to overtake the older, more negative meaning. Many people, especially older generations, still believe the term has its older meaning. Because of this, it's a good idea to be careful to use it around people who are aware of the newer connotation.

Because of the widespread popularity of the "for the win" usage, more people now use the word as a modern day rallying cry (for the win.) If you'd like to see the episode of "Hollywood Squares" where the term was first introduced, it is included to the right!