ATM
Abbreviation with 6 meanings
| Stands for | Automated teller machine |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 6 |
| Categories | Business & Finance, Texting & Internet Slang, Units & Measurements, Technology & Computing |
| Also written | atm |
ATM has six meanings. The most common are Automated teller machine (banking) and At the moment (texting and chat); it can also stand for Standard atmosphere, At the money, At-the-market offering and Asynchronous Transfer Mode.
Meanings of ATM at a glance
| # | ATM stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automated teller machine | Business & Finance › Banking |
| 2 | At the moment | Texting & Internet Slang › Texting and Chat |
| 3 | Standard atmosphere | Units & Measurements › Engineering Unit |
| 4 | At the money | Business & Finance › Stock Market & Investing |
| 5 | At-the-market offering | Business & Finance › Finance |
| 6 | Asynchronous Transfer Mode | Technology & Computing › Networking |
1. Automated teller machine
Business & Finance · Banking Abbreviations
Self-service machine that lets bank customers withdraw cash, check balances, deposit cash or checks and transfer money using a debit card and PIN, without visiting a teller. ATMs connect to card networks, so customers can use machines owned by other banks, often for a fee.
Example: The ATM charged a $3.50 fee because it belongs to a different bank's network.
The first cash machine was installed by Barclays in Enfield, north London, in June 1967. "ATM machine" is a common redundancy, since the M already means machine. British English often says cashpoint or cash machine, and Canadians may say ABM (automated banking machine). Skimming devices attached to card slots are a major ATM fraud risk. In options trading, ATM instead means "at the money."
2. At the moment
Texting & Internet Slang · Texting and Chat Abbreviations
Describes what is happening right now or a temporary state, as in "busy atm" or "no plans atm." Common in texts, chats and social posts across all age groups.
Example: Can't talk atm, in a meeting till 3, will call you after.
Easily confused with automated teller machine (a cash machine), the dominant meaning in general English; in chat, the lowercase form and its position in a sentence usually make the texting sense clear. Acceptable in quick informal work messages, but write the phrase out in emails to clients.
3. Standard atmosphere (atm)
Units & Measurements · Engineering Unit Abbreviations
A pressure unit defined as exactly 101,325 pascals, approximately the average air pressure at sea level. Chemistry, diving and gas-law problems use atm, and pressure at depth is often described in atmospheres.
Example: At 30 m underwater, a diver experiences about 4 atm of total pressure.
The value was fixed by the General Conference on Weights and Measures in 1954. One atm equals 760 mmHg, 14.696 psi and 1.01325 bar. Chemistry's standard temperature and pressure (STP) was historically 0°C and 1 atm, though IUPAC redefined standard pressure as 1 bar in 1982.
4. At the money
Business & Finance · Stock Market & Investing Abbreviations
Describes an option whose strike price equals, or is very close to, the current price of the underlying asset. ATM options carry the most time value and the highest sensitivity to changes in volatility.
Example: With the stock at $50.10, the $50 strike is the ATM option traders watch most closely.
ATM options have a delta of roughly 0.5 for calls and minus 0.5 for puts. The price of an ATM straddle, buying both the call and the put, is often used to estimate the market's expected move around earnings. In banking ATM means automated teller machine, and in corporate finance an at-the-market share offering.
5. At-the-market offering
Business & Finance · Finance Abbreviations
Method for a listed company to raise equity gradually by selling new shares into the open market at prevailing prices through a broker, rather than in a single priced deal. It gives issuers flexibility over timing and amount.
Example: The REIT sold $220 million of shares through its ATM program during the quarter.
ATM programs are common among REITs, utilities, biotech companies and, more recently, firms accumulating bitcoin. They usually involve lower fees and less market impact than a traditional follow-on offering. ATM also means automated teller machine in banking and at the money in options trading.
6. Asynchronous Transfer Mode
Technology & Computing · Networking Abbreviations
A cell-switching network technology that carried voice, video and data in fixed 53-byte cells over telecom backbones and DSL lines in the 1990s and 2000s. It offered strong quality-of-service guarantees but was largely replaced by IP and MPLS networks.
Example: Older ADSL modems still ask for the ATM VPI and VCI values supplied by the ISP.
The 53-byte cell, with a 48-byte payload, was a compromise between proposals for 64-byte and 32-byte payloads. ATM survives as a legacy layer under some DSL services. In everyday English ATM means an automated teller machine; the networking sense appears only in telecom and networking contexts.
Related abbreviations
More banking abbreviations
- ACH – Automated Clearing House
- ALLL – Allowance for loan and lease losses
- ALM – Asset-liability management
- AML – Anti-money laundering
- BACS – Bankers' Automated Clearing Services
- BG – Bank guarantee
- BHC – Bank holding company
- BIC – Business Identifier Code
See all 80 banking abbreviations →