private message

private message (plural private messages)

(Internet) A message sent to another user of a social media or chat platform through a private channel as opposed to a publicly accessible area or chatroom.
Synonyms: (initialism) PM, direct message, personal message, whisper
- 2007 January 19, Seth Schiesel, “O Brave New World That Has Such Gamers in It”, in The New York Times‎:
  By then I was receiving dozens of private messages in the game every hour from players I had never met who could see that my guildmate and I were out front: “OMG how did you level so fast?,” “Hey you must have a lot of gold, can I have some?” and of course “You guys are huge nerds.”

communication to an individual social media user

Afrikaans: privaatboodskap
Arabic: رِسَالَة خَاصَّة f (risāla ḵāṣṣa)
Belarusian: прыва́тнае паведамле́нне n (pryvátnaje pavjedamljénnje), прыва́тнае паведамле́ньне n (pryvátnaje pavjedamljénʹnje)
Bulgarian: ли́чно съобще́ние n (líčno sǎobšténie)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 私信 (si¹ seon³), 私訊 / 私讯 (si¹ seon³) (Hong Kong, Taiwan)

Mandarin: 私信 (zh) (sīxìn), 私訊 / 私讯 (zh) (sīxùn) (Hong Kong, Taiwan)
Czech: soukromá zpráva f
Finnish: yksityisviesti (fi)
French: message privé m
German: private Nachricht f
Hungarian: privát üzenet, privi (hu)
Japanese: プライベート・メッセージ (puraibēto-messēji), パーソナル・メッセージ (pāsonaru-messēji), ダイレクト・メッセージ (dairekuto-messēji)
Korean: 개인 메시지 (gaein mesiji), 다이렉트 메시지 (dairekteu mesiji)
Polish: wiadomość prywatna f, priv m (colloquial)
Portuguese: mensagem privada f
Russian: ли́чное сообще́ние n (líčnoje soobščénije), ЛС (ru) n (LS)
Slovak: súkromná správa f
Spanish: mensaje privado m
Swedish: privatmeddelande (sv) n
Thai: หลังไมค์ (lǎng-mai) (colloquial)
Ukrainian: прива́тне повідо́млення n (pryvátne povidómlennja)

private message (third-person singular simple present private messages, present participle private messaging, simple past and past participle private messaged)

(Internet, transitive) To send a private message.
Alternative form: private-message

Synonyms: (initialism) PM, direct message, personal message

to send a private message

Chinese:
Cantonese: 私信 (si¹ seon³), 私訊 / 私讯 (si¹ seon³) (Hong Kong, Taiwan)

Mandarin: 私信 (zh) (sīxìn), 私訊 / 私讯 (zh) (sīxùn) (Hong Kong, Taiwan)
Finnish: yksityisviesti (fi)
Thai: หลังไมค์ (lǎng-mai) (colloquial)

English