What does the skull and crossbones emoji really mean and how do you use it?

A SKULL immediately makes you think of death.

However, when it comes to emojis, there is always more to it than meets the eye.

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What does the skull emoji mean?

The main meaning of the skull emoji is death and paranormal activities – that’s why it’s mostly used during Halloween.

When referring to death, it is not used seriously as it would be insensitive to use this emoji to refer to a person’s passing.

It can be used to depict black humor and embarrassment.

For example, it could refer to you “laughing so much you died.”

A final meaning is to represent poison, and you can see a skull when there are dangerous chemicals such as acids or radioactive substances that could threaten human life.

Can I use the skull emoji to laugh?

Yes you can.

With your friends, you might want to use it to laugh at something that shouldn’t be funny – but brings out your black humor.

But be careful who you share it with as some might be offended.

Dark humor usually relates to serious subjects such as death itself.

Just remember to be respectful and consider how people might react to you when you use the skull and crossbones emoji to make you laugh.

If you’ve known the person for a long time and tend to always laugh at dark jokes, then it would be fine.

But if it’s someone you’ve just met or are just getting to know and you don’t yet know what kind of humor they like, it’s best not to use this emoji.

How to use the skull and crossbones emoji

The skull is used figuratively rather than literally.

For example, in football, when a player executes a menacing sliding tackle or nutmegs his opponent, fans tend to comment on how one player killed another with such gameplay.

When showing highlights of the action, you may see clubs adding a skull and crossbones emoji to their social media post.

Groups of friends also tend to use it when two people are having a non-serious argument and someone is “burning” another.

It may indicate that you “killed” the recipient with your reply to a comment or that you won an argument.

On social media, you can use the skull emoji during Halloween when you upload pictures of your very spooky costume.