PLOS

What Does PLOS Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

PLOS means "Parents Looking Over Shoulder" or "Public Library Of Science."

Parents Looking Over Shoulder

The abbreviation PLOS is commonly used by children and teenagers to let friends know that a parent or guardian is close enough to read an on-screen conversation. PLOS acts as a warning not to type anything that adults would disapprove of and indicates that the sender may abruptly change the subject or end the conversation. PLOS is one of many abbreviations used by children and teenagers to alert their friends to the presence of adults. Others include:

• PAL (Parents Are Listening).
• PAW (Parents Are Watching).
• PITR (Parent In The Room).

Public Library Of Science

PLOS is also used to refer to the "Public Library Of Science," which is based in San Francisco, California. PLOS is a non-profit science, technology and medicine publisher and advocacy organization, with a library of open access journals and other scientific literature.

Image for PLOS

When I write PLOS, I mean this:

PLOS also means "Parents Looking Over Shoulder."

Summary of Key Points

We have summarized the key points in the table below:

PLOS
Definition:	Parents Looking Over Shoulder
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Second Definition for PLOS

PLOS also means "Public Library Of Science."

PLOS
Definition:	Public Library Of Science
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults

Examples of PLOS in Sentences

Here are examples of PLOS in conversations:

• Gordon: What did you do with the car?
• Jack: PLOS. Nothing yet. I am going to ask mom if I can clean it to earn some extra money.
(Here, PLOS means "Parents Looking Over Shoulder.")

• Albert: Would you like all of your research to be openly available?
• Chris: Yes. I am going to pass it all to PLOS.
(Here, PLOS means "Public Library Of Science.")

An Academic Look at PLOS

Whether used with the meaning "Parents Looking Over Shoulder" or "Public Library Of Science," PLOS is an initialism abbreviation. Technically, this means it is pronounced using its individual letters (i.e., "Pee Ell Oh Ess"). However, it is not usually spoken using its letters. The abbreviation PLOS is for efficiency in writing, rather than for efficiency in speech.

What Did We Say before Texting and Social Media?

Before the digital era, we would not have needed to use PLOS with the meaning "Parents Looking Over Shoulder." The "Public Library Of Science" did not exist before the digital era.

Example of PLOS Used in a Text

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