What Does PTL Mean over Text and Social Media?

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Learn what PTL means in the trucking and medical industries

Co-authored by Janice Tieperman Reviewed by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones

Last Updated: July 1, 2024 Fact Checked

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• What does PTL mean over text and on social media?
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• How to Use PTL
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• Alternative Meanings

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PTL typically means Praise the Lord, but this handy acronym can carry different meanings across different industries, like shipping, medicine, and energy. We’ll take a closer look at how all the different definitions of PTL are used (both over text and otherwise), so you can have the full picture.

PTL Meaning in Texting

PTL is shorthand for Praise the Lord, which is often used to share relief about something. It can also be used in a Christian context, where someone is actually praising God. In really specific instances, PTL can even stand for terms like partial truckload, preterm labor, or postgraduate training license.

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Section 1 of 3:

What does PTL mean over text and on social media?

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1. 
   PTL means “Praise The Lord.” Think of PTL/Praise The Lord as a digital way of saying “Thank God” or “Finally!” For some people, PTL is used casually; for others, it can carry a deeper, more spiritual connotation as they use the term to literally praise God (like a prayer).

   • You might be familiar with the acronym PTL from its infamous usage in the 70s and 80s in “The PTL Club,” a famous televangelist program run by Jim Baker, a disgraced televangelist who later become a convicted felon for fraud. In this case, PTL was shorthand for “Praise the Lord” (or, alternately, “People That Love”).
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Section 2 of 3:

How to Use PTL

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   Use PTL whenever you feel relieved. Sometimes, you might receive a text that inspires gratitude and relief. In this type of circumstance, a tasteful “PTL” could be a great way to express your feelings.

   • Person A: “I got pulled over by a cop, but they let me off with just a warning.”
     Person B: “PTL!”
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   Add a Christian emphasis to your message with PTL. If you’re a pretty religious person, adding PTL to a message can be treated like a genuine prayer to God (like getting good news about a relative in the hospital).

   • Person A: “Uncle Jay just got out of surgery. The doctors say he’ll be just fine.”
     Person B: “I’m so happy to hear that—PTL!”
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Section 3 of 3:

Alternative Meanings

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   Partial Truck Load (PTL) In the world of shipping and freight, PTL refers to a “partial truck load,” or a shipment of freight that’s not quite enough to fill up the entire truck. An LTL (Less Than Truckload) is considered smaller than a PTL, while an FTL (Full Truckload) is considered bigger.

   • Example: “Since the truck isn’t filled up all the way, I’m going to call it a PTL.”
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   Postgraduate Training Licensee (PTL) A PTL can refer to a special type of medical license that California medical students get after graduating from medical school and passing their tests.

   • Person A: “So, are you able to practice medicine as a PTL?”
     Person B: “Yeah, but only when it lines up with what I already have to be doing as a resident.”
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   Preterm Labor (PTL) Preterm Labor occurs when a pregnant individual goes into labor earlier than 37 weeks into the baby’s development. In research settings, it’s sometimes abbreviated as PTL.
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   Primary Thyroid Lymphoma (PTL) Lymphoma is a serious type of cancer that hits your lymphatic system (the part of your body that makes, holds onto, and moves white blood cells around). Occasionally, lymphoma can pop up in the thyroid gland (or, more specifically, the lymphocytes inside the thyroid), which leads to primary thyroid lymphoma.

   • Example: “It’s not a good idea to rule out PTL as a potential culprit when a patient’s thyroid has an unknown mass.”
   • In research documents, primary thyroid lymphoma is sometimes abbreviated as PTL.
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   Power-to-Liquid (PtL) PtL refers to a promising, eco-friendly type of liquid airplane fuel that originates from a renewable energy source.

   • Example: “I’m excited to see how far PtL goes over the next decade.”
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