What does AFK stand for?

Away from keyboard. It means you've stepped away from your device, game or chat for a while and won't respond until you're back.

What does AFK mean in gaming?

A player who isn't there: logged in but idle. You can announce it ("afk 2 min") or be called it by teammates when your character stands still mid-match.

What does AFK mean in Roblox or Minecraft?

The same thing, plus AFK farming. Players leave the game running so a setup gathers resources while they're away. In Minecraft, an AFK farm can collect crops or fish overnight.

What's the difference between AFK and BRB?

Brb promises you'll be right back. AFK only says you're away, with no promise about when you'll return. People often send both: "brb, afk."

Can you get kicked for going AFK?

Often, yes. Many online games detect idle players and remove them after a set time. Grand Theft Auto Online, for example, kicks players who stay AFK for more than 15 minutes.

Is it OK to say AFK at work?

In a casual team chat, usually. In formal messages, "stepping away for a few minutes" is clearer, since not everyone knows gamer shorthand.

AFK

[ ay-ef-KAY ] /ˌeɪ ɛf ˈkeɪ/ (said letter by letter)

abbreviation · also used as adjective ("AFK all round"), verb ("went AFK mid-match")

AFK means "away from keyboard": you've stepped away from your game, chat or device and won't reply for a while. Gamers also call idle players AFK.

AFK has 4 meanings. Jump to: [Away from keyboard] [Idle player] [AFK farming] [Not the mobile games]

type abbreviation since 1989 seen on gaming, discord, twitch, texting, reddit status classic

Can you still say it?

AFK is a classic: old, stable, and understood by just about everyone. Safe to say, and likely always will be.

What does AFK mean?

1.
Away from keyboard: A heads-up that you are stepping away from your device, game or chat and won't respond for a while. Usually typed before leaving: "afk 5," "brb afk, food."
2.
Idle player: Someone logged in but not playing or responding: "he's been AFK all round." Many games flag or kick players who stay idle too long.
3.
AFK farming: Leaving a character or an automated setup running so it gathers resources, items or XP while you are away. An AFK farm is the build that does it.
4.
Not the mobile games: AFK Arena and AFK Journey are idle mobile games named after the idea. They are products, not a separate meaning of the slang.

AFK is the polite way to vanish. Type "afk 5" in a game lobby or a group chat and everyone knows you'll be gone for a few minutes and shouldn't be waited on. It is older than smartphones and has outlived the keyboard: console and phone players say it too.

It also works as a description. A teammate who stands still in the storm while everyone else fights is AFK, whether they said so or not. Many online games detect idle players and warn or kick them, because one AFK player drags the whole team down.

Some players go AFK on purpose. In survival and sandbox games, an AFK farm gathers crops, fish or experience while you're away, and Minecraft players build AFK farms for exactly this. Idle games, including mobile titles with AFK in the name, are built around progress that continues without you.

It pairs with brb. Brb promises you'll be right back. AFK only says you're gone, with no promise about when you'll return, which is why people often send both. At work, "stepping away for a few minutes" does the same job for anyone who doesn't speak gamer.

Where did AFK come from?

AFK comes from typed live chat, and it predates the web. A May 1989 FidoNews list of chat abbreviations gives "AFK - Away From Keys" next to BRB and BBL. FidoNet was a network of dial-up bulletin board systems.

In June 1990, the Jargon File, the hackers' glossary, listed AFK, away from keyboard, among chat abbreviations reported from GEnie and CompuServe. Both were commercial online services where live group chat was common. A later edition gave it its own entry, tagged as MUD jargon, and noted it was common in chat from IRC to Unix talk.

It became standard in MUDs, the text-based multiplayer games, and later in MMOs and every other kind of online game. Consoles and phones kept the word even without a keyboard. No single coiner is known, and the popular story that it was invented on 1990s IRC comes later than the evidence.

More sources: AFK - Wiktionary · Citations: AFK - Wiktionary · afk - Cambridge Dictionary · AFK - Dictionary.com · Glossary of video game terms - Wikipedia

How to use AFK in a sentence

brb, afk 5, my mom's calling me for dinner

left my minecraft afk farm running all night and woke up to three chests of iron

going afk for lunch, ping me if the build breaks

In a conversation

why is your guy just standing in the storm??

sorry went afk to grab the door, did we lose?

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Questions about AFK

What does AFK stand for?: Away from keyboard. It means you've stepped away from your device, game or chat for a while and won't respond until you're back.
What does AFK mean in gaming?: A player who isn't there: logged in but idle. You can announce it ("afk 2 min") or be called it by teammates when your character stands still mid-match.
What does AFK mean in Roblox or Minecraft?: The same thing, plus AFK farming. Players leave the game running so a setup gathers resources while they're away. In Minecraft, an AFK farm can collect crops or fish overnight.
What's the difference between AFK and BRB?: Brb promises you'll be right back. AFK only says you're away, with no promise about when you'll return. People often send both: "brb, afk."
Can you get kicked for going AFK?: Often, yes. Many online games detect idle players and remove them after a set time. Grand Theft Auto Online, for example, kicks players who stay AFK for more than 15 minutes.
Is it OK to say AFK at work?: In a casual team chat, usually. In formal messages, "stepping away for a few minutes" is clearer, since not everyone knows gamer shorthand.