LOS
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Length of stay |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Medical, Transportation & Travel, Texting & Internet Slang, Sports |
LOS has four meanings. The most common are Length of stay (medical documentation) and Murtala Muhammed International Airport (airport code); it can also stand for Line of sight and Line of scrimmage.
Meanings of LOS at a glance
| # | LOS stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Length of stay | Medical › Medical Documentation |
| 2 | Murtala Muhammed International Airport | Transportation & Travel › Airport Code |
| 3 | Line of sight | Texting & Internet Slang › Gaming Slang |
| 4 | Line of scrimmage | Sports › American Football |
1. Length of stay
Medical · Medical Documentation Abbreviations
Number of days a patient remains in hospital from admission to discharge. It is a key measure of efficiency, cost and bed capacity and is tracked by diagnosis.
Example: Expected LOS 3 days per DRG; case management involved early.
Medicare's inpatient payment uses diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), each with an expected geometric mean LOS, which encourages efficient stays. Long stays may reflect complications or delays waiting for rehab beds. Observation hours are counted separately from inpatient LOS.
2. Murtala Muhammed International Airport
Transportation & Travel · Airport Code Abbreviations
Nigeria's busiest airport, located in Ikeja on the Lagos mainland. It is the main international gateway to West Africa's largest economy.
Example: Traffic from LOS to Victoria Island can take two hours, so plan your meetings accordingly.
ICAO code DNMM. Named for General Murtala Muhammed, Nigeria's head of state who was assassinated in 1976. A new international terminal funded by China opened in 2022. Domestic flights use separate terminals on the same airfield, including the privately operated MMA2.
3. Line of sight
Texting & Internet Slang · Gaming Slang Abbreviations
Whether a character can see or target another without obstacles in between. Players "break LOS" by stepping behind walls or pillars to avoid spells, or "LOS the boss" to make enemies come closer.
Example: Break LOS behind the pillar so the casters have to walk to us.
A key tactic in MMORPG arenas and raids, where many spells require line of sight to cast. In shooters, controlling sightlines decides fights. In other contexts LOS can mean "length of stay" in hospitals, an unrelated sense.
4. Line of scrimmage
Sports · American Football Abbreviations
Imaginary line across the field at the spot of the ball before each play, which neither team may cross until the snap. The offense must have seven players on the line, and forward passes must be thrown from behind it.
Example: The tight end lined up off the LOS, making him eligible as a receiver.
Each team actually has its own line of scrimmage, separated by the length of the ball, a gap called the neutral zone. Offside, encroachment and false start penalties all involve the LOS. Outside sports, LOS can mean line of sight or length of stay.
Related abbreviations
More medical documentation abbreviations
- ISBAR – Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation
- IVDA – Intravenous drug abuse
- IVDU – Intravenous drug use
- Ix – Investigations
- MDM – Medical decision making
- MRN – Medical record number
- Mx – Management
- N/V/D – Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
See all 79 medical documentation abbreviations →
More airport code abbreviations
- LHR – London Heathrow Airport
- LIH – Lihue Airport
- LIM – Jorge Chávez International Airport
- LIS – Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport
- LTN – London Luton Airport
- MAD – Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport
- MAN – Manchester Airport
- MBJ – Sangster International Airport
See all 170 airport code abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.