FOMO

Or fo·mo

[foh-moh]

noun

Slang.

1. a feeling of anxiety or insecurity over the possibility of missing out on something, as an event or an opportunity.

   If I say no to a party invitation, I get a bad case of FOMO.

Word History and Origins

Origin of FOMO¹

First recorded in 2000–05; f(ear) o(f) m(issing) o(ut)

Example Sentences

“FOMO,” Baffert said with a laugh, referring to the acronym for “fear of missing out.”

From Los Angeles Times

Another factor may now be helping to drive the gold market upwards: FOMO, or fear of missing out.

From BBC

Friedrich Merz admits, indirectly, to a sense of Fomo - fear of missing out.

From BBC

So you’re forgiven if you’re developing a bad case of northern lights FOMO.

From Slate

We could have done a second show, but we only wanted to do one show because we kind of wanted to create FOMO.

From Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What does FOMO mean?

Short for fear of missing out, FOMO is an anxious feeling you get when you feel other people might be having a good time without you.In the digital age, FOMO often leads to a constant checking of social media to see what your friends are doing.