Internet-inspired expressions OMG! (Oh, my God!) and LOL (Laughing out loud) were approved by Oxford English Dictionary, according to USA Today.

It is adding them to the authoritative reference book's latest online update. Editors publish updates to the online Oxford every three months.

“Terms made popular online are only included among the dictionary's 300,000 entries when they have crossed over into everyday use,” said Graeme Diamond, OED's principal editor for new words.

Although the new abbreviations are associated with modern electronic communications, some are surprisingly old. The first confirmed use of OMG was in a 1917 letter by a British admiral.

Diamond said the Internet has revolutionized the way lexicographers work, giving them a huge amount of new evidence of word use.