O7: The Gamer Salute Explained

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Decode one of the most popular emotes on Twitch

Co-authored by Eric McClure Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: March 27, 2025 Fact Checked

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What does O7 mean?

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O7 on Twitch

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O7 Usage

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Other "O" Emoticons

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O7 Alternative Meanings

A lot of emoticons are pretty straightforward, including the iconic smiley face. :-) But some can be a bit more ambiguous, including O7, which you might see on platforms like Twitch. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about this fun (and very silly) emoticon.

O7 Meaning

O7 is a saluting emoticon. The O represents a person’s head, while the 7 represents a raised arm with a bent elbow. People use the O7 emoticon on platforms like Twitch to express admiration, say hello, or wish people good luck.

Section 1 of 5:

What does O7 mean?

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O7 is a visualization of a person saluting. The “O” is supposed to resemble a head. The “7” is meant to look like someone’s arm raised up with their elbow and hand bent toward their forehead. When combined, it looks like a little soldier standing at attention in a salute.^{[1]
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- O7 is an example of an emoticon, a precursor to emojis where internet users combine typographical symbols to make pictures of faces or animals. The most infamous emoticon is probably the :) smiley face.
- People will often use a lowercase o instead of O for the head, but o7 and O7 mean the same thing.
- Alternative: O> is a less common variation that also looks like a person saluting. You won’t see this as often as O7, though.

Section 2 of 5:

What does O7 mean on Twitch?

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Twitch users often type O7 to “salute” a streamer’s gameplay. The saluting emoticon is especially common on the video game streaming platform Twitch. Users on the channel will often use O7 as shorthand for “Sick play!” You’ll also occasionally see a Twitch chat spam the O7 emoticon when they’re “following the streamer into battle” or agreeing with something poignant or notable they said.^{[2]
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- Some streamers may even ask for “Salutes in the chat!” whenever they do something awesome in a game.
- Some Twitch users may even enter O7 in a chat when they first show up as a way of saying, “Checking in for the stream!”

Section 3 of 5:

How do you use O7 in text or online?

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Use O7 to convey your sense of pride or respect. A lot of people use O7 to express respect and admiration, kind of the same way you’d “salute” a great ball player after a stellar performance, or how you might give a salute to a kid who walks an old lady across the street.^{[3]
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- Them: I just finished taking the BAR exam last week. I think I’m going to make it! You’re talking to a future lawyer 😊
- You: That’s awesome! I’m so proud of you O7
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Type O7 to wish someone good luck. You know how people occasionally salute someone when they’re going to tackle a tough task, like going to a competitive job interview? People also use O7 this way! Send it to someone when you want to give them “You got this!” vibes.^{[4]
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- Them: Well, looks like I’m going to have to fire my first employee at work. Honestly, if I knew I’d have to do this I’m not sure I’d have taken the promotion.
- You: O7. I know it sucks, but you'll handle it with grace. It's just part of the job.
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Enter O7 in game chats where you are part of an army to confirm orders. O7 is a popular emoticon in multiplayer online games. It’s especially common in team-based games where saluting might make sense as a character in the game, like in War of Rights where players are part of an army, or in Eve Online where players are in fleets of spaceships. Other popular games you might see O7 include Elite Dangerous, Rimworld, ARMA, Among Us, The Division, and Call of Duty.^{[5]
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- Them: I need support over here in sector A!
- You: O7. On my way, chief.

Section 4 of 5:

Other "O" Emoticons

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This is probably the most common variation of O7. It’s a little person throwing their arm up to wave at you!
$Step 2 \O/ — celebration$

This emoticon is supposed to look like someone throwing both of their arms in the air joyfully.
The <O> emote looks like someone holding their temples. This expresses the kind of panic you might feel when you realize you left your wallet at a restaurant or completely forgot about an essay due tomorrow.
$Step 4 O/\O – high five$

This is a fun one. It looks like two people high-fiving together!

Section 5 of 5:

O7 Alternative Meanings

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If you see someone talking about “making O-7” or “earning O-7,” they’re probably talking about the pay grade for US military officers. O-7 is a particularly high pay level for uniformed officers.^{[6]
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07 can be shorthand for the year 2007. People often abbreviate years using the two last numbers in the sequence, so if it appears that someone might be referring to a time, 07 probably refers to 2007.
- You might also see gamers use 07 to refer to different versions of a game. For example, they might refer to FIFA 2007 as 07 when they say something like, “I preferred 07 over 10.”