ISO Meaning
Last Updated:What does ISO mean?
ISO means In Search Of. It could also mean International Organization for Standardization.
On this page:
- Where is ISO used?
- How is ISO used?
- Example Uses of ISO
- Who uses ISO?
- History of ISO
- Other Definitions of ISO
ISO is an initialism that stands for “in search of”, which is a way of telling people that you are looking to purchase something specific.
It is also the initialism of the International Organization of Standardization, an organization which sets many industrial and commercial standards.
Where is ISO used?
ISO is frequently used on websites where people buy and sell things, such as Craigslist and on Facebook groups.
ISO is used on the follow platforms and places:
- texting
- online conversation
- Craigslist
- Facebook Messenger
- Snapchat
How is ISO used?
ISO is used to tell people that you are looking to buy something. It is typically used when someone wants to buy something used that is difficult to find (or at least not widely available).
Do people say ISO out loud?
No, and they probably don’t say “in search of” either. They may say something like “I’m looking for” or “I want to buy”.
Example Uses of ISO
ISO a good condition Aston Martin V8 Vantage with a manual transmission.
A Facebook post by someone looking to buy a specific car.
Hey guys, I'm ISO a cheap road bike for riding to and from work. Let me know if you have anything!
A text message to a group chat from someone looking to buy a cheap bicycle.
On online conversation:I'm ISO new laptop to use for school. Please respond if you have anything in good condition under $500.
A message to a group chat by someone looking for a cheap laptop to use for school.
On Craigslist:ISO Gaming Consoles (PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
A Craigslist post title by someone looking to purchase previous generation gaming consoles.
On Craigslist:ISO Graphics Cards
A Craigslist post title by someone looking to buy graphics cards (probably for mining cryptocurrency).
On Facebook:ISO winter wheel setup for my MKVI Golf R.
A Facebook post in a group by someone looking for winter wheels for their car.
On Facebook:ISO a 2013 or 2014 Nissan GTR with under 20K miles. Let me know if you guys find anything! Thanks!
A Facebook group post by someone looking to purchase a specific car.
On online conversation:Did you look up the correct formatting in the ISO handbook?
A coworker asks another if they looked up the correct formatting for something in handbook from the ISO.
Who uses ISO?
ISO is used by people a many different kinds of people. Unlike some slang terms which are used exclusively by teenagers, ISO is used people of all ages.
History of ISO
First Use
We don’t know when ISO was first used to mean “in search of”. It was first defined on Urban Dictionary in 2003, and we suspect it was first used on Craigslist.
Rise in Popularity
Looking at Google Trends, there seems to be a fairly unique trend in searches for ISO. For a while they are pretty consistent, but since 2010 have just declined year-over-year. We suspect it has something to do with a decline in people using Craigslist and an increase in people using Facebook around that time, since ISO was used frequently on Craigslist and seemingly less frequently on Facebook.
What was used before ISO?
Since people don’t say ISO out loud and because it seems to only have come into existence when people began buying and selling things online, it’s likely that people would have just used words IRL to tell others they’re trying to buy something.
Other Definitions of ISO
ISO can also mean:
- International Organization for Standardization
International Organization for Standardization
The ISO is an organization that sets commercial and industrial standards for a huge variety of things. For example, 2000-01-01T12:34:56 is the time and date in the ISO 8601 format.