PTW

What Does PTW Mean?

PTW means "Pay to Win," "Play To Win," and "Professional Time Waster."

Here is more information about each of these definitions of PTW, with examples of use.

Pay to Win

PTW is used in gaming with the meaning "Pay to Win," to refer to games that allow players to purchase items or abilities (e.g., more powerful weapons, additional health points) that give them an advantage in the game, either over other players or NPCs (Non-Player Characters). For example:

Lee: Have you played Minecraft Bedrock Edition?
Ali: It's PTW. You don't stand a chance unless you are prepared to spend a fortune.

PTW is a very controversial aspect of gaming. Many players strongly object to people being able to pay to trump their own hard-earned experience or superior skills.

Check out our full list of online gaming terms.

Play to Win

PTW is widely used in gaming, sports, and business, with the meaning "Play To Win." In this context it indicates that a person or team takes an activity or endeavor seriously and intends to triumph. For example:

Sam: Wow! You're taking this project very seriously.
Robin: I always PTW.

Professional Time Waster

PTW is also used with the meaning "Professional Time Waster." In this context it refers to someone who is either dedicated to avoiding work, or needlessly wastes the time of other people (e.g., by requesting complicated quotations for a job when they have no real intention of contracting the service in question). For example:

Toni: A Mr Watson requested a quote for an extension.
Chris: Don't worry about him. He's a PTW.

PTW is often typed as P2W.

Image for PTW

When I write PTW, I mean this: meaning of PTW

PTW also means "Play To Win" and "Professional Time Waster."

Summary of Key Points

"Pay to Win" is the most common definition for PTW on gaming apps, such as Discord, TeamSpeak and on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

PTW
Definition:	Pay to Win
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

"Play to Win" is another common definition for PTW.

PTW
Definition:	Play to Win
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

"Professional Time Waster" is also a common definition for PTW.

PTW
Definition:	Professional Time Waster
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

More...

An Academic Look at PTW

Whether used with the meaning "Pay to Win," "Play To Win," or "Professional Time Waster," PTW is classified as a cyber term, because some of its characters are used as substitutes for letters.

Cyber terms were introduced to reduce the number of key strokes required to type the word. However, since the arrival of predictive texting and keyboards on mobile devices, this efficiency is no longer required. Nevertheless, cyber terms are still regularly used to make messages more entertaining or to express individuality.

Cyber terms differ from emoticons because they are not pictorial representations.

Using Numbers in Texts

This video shows the different ways that numbers are used in "text speak":

Example of PTW Used in a Text

PTW

"Cyber Speak" Test

You now know what PTW means, but are you good at Cyber Speak? Well, let's see!

Gold

Silver

Bronze

This test has questions.
A correct answer is worth 5 points.
You can get up to 5 bonus points for a speedy answer.
Some questions demand more than one answer. You must get every part right.
Beware! Wrong answers score 0 points.
🏆 If you beat one of the top 3 scores, you will be invited to apply for the Hall of Fame.

Scoring System

Cyber Guru (+)
Cyber Hero (+)
Cyber Captain (+)
Cyber Sergeant (+)
Cyber Recruit (+)

Help Us Improve Cyber Definitions

Do you disagree with something on this page?
Did you spot a typo?
Do you know a slang term that we've missed?

Please tell us using this form.

Trending Pages

PTW