Introduction to OP

Hey, OP!”
“What’s up, OP?”
“OP is correct!”

– Internet users all the time

Someone who is not familiar with all these techy internet terms may find the word OP confusing. For one thing, it has multiple meanings depending on the context online users use it. And to make things more complicated, OP may have different meanings even within the same online community.

Here are five different meanings of OP:

Original Poster

This is the most common meaning of OP. On forums and in other online contexts, OP refers to the person who has started the thread by posting something. Any replies to the thread will be made by others, and these replies will be referred to as “replies” or “posts.” You can easily identify the OP of a thread by a special tag or label next to their username.

Examples of people saying OP to an original poster:

-I definitely agree with OP.
-But OP, why do you think that?
-Guys, OP does not mean that. Rather, they mean…

Overpowered

A gamer may say that a certain character or weapon in a game is “OP” to mean that it is too powerful and unfair. They often use it in a negative way to describe something that makes the game unbalanced and less fun. And in some cases, people use the term “OP” to troll their weak gaming friends in a sarcastic way. Only in a few cases, do gamers use the term to praise their opponents.

Examples of people saying OP to overpowered:

-Dude, the M249 is so OP. I just can’t handle it with my weak pistol. (Referring to a powerful in-game weapon)
-LOL, OP had to fail that easy mission. (Trolling a weak gaming friend)
-The opponents were too OP for us. Like, how are we supposed to win against that? (Praising an opponent)

Operator/Mod

Another meaning of OP is “operator” or “mod.” This is someone who has special powers or privileges on an online platform. For example, on Reddit, moderators of a subreddit have the ability to delete posts, ban users, and change the appearance of the subreddit. So if you see someone talking to a “mod” or an “OP,” they are probably talking to a moderator or administrator. In some cases, social media users call mods or admins by this name for sarcasm.

Examples of people saying OP to an operator or moderator:

-Can an OP please delete this spam post?
-I’m going to report this to the OPs.
-Hey, OP, can you please ban this user? They keep posting offensive stuff.

Old People

This is a less common meaning of OP, but it is sometimes used on online platforms like Reddit and 4chan. It is used to refer to people who are not young, usually over the age of 70. This term is also used in a derogatory way to make fun of someone for being old-fashioned.

Examples of people saying OP to old-fashioned people:

-Why are you so obsessed with the new iPhone, OP?
-Was your car born in the 70s, OP?
-OPs are really inspiring.

Observation plan

This meaning of OP is used mainly in research contexts. In research, an OP refers to a specific plan or set of steps that will be followed in order to observe something. For example, a researcher may have an OP to observe the behavior of a certain type of animal in its natural habitat.

Examples of people saying OP to observation plan:

-Can you please send me the OP for this study?
-I’m sorry, but our OP does not allow for that.
-We need to follow the OP exactly in order to get accurate results.

Conclusion

The variety in meanings of the word OP is interesting to follow. Whether you’re a gamer, a Redditor, or an online researcher, you’ve probably faced the term OP in one way or another.