DNF

Sports abbreviation · Other Sports

DNF
Stands forDid not finish
CategoriesSports

DNF stands for Did not finish, an other sports abbreviation also used in texting and entertainment.

Result code for a competitor who started a race or event but did not complete it, because of injury, mechanical failure, a crash or withdrawal. Used in running, cycling, motorsport, triathlon, skiing and sailing results.

Example: Two cars collided on lap one, and both drivers were listed as DNF.

Usage notes

A DNF earns no finishing points in most championships, so reliability matters in motorsport. Marathoners sometimes drop out deliberately to save themselves for a later race. Book reviewers use DNF in the same sense for a book they abandoned. Pronounced as letters.

More other sports abbreviations

  • 5K – 5 kilometers
  • ATS – Against the spread
  • BJJ – Brazilian jiu-jitsu
  • BP – Break point
  • BQ – Boston qualifier
  • DF – Double fault
  • DNQ – Did not qualify
  • DNS – Did not start
  • DQ – Disqualified
  • DRS – Decision Review System
  • FIR – Fairways in regulation
  • GC – General classification

See all 63 other sports abbreviations →