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

Live access was crucial because of a lesson the Peacock team learned about viewers when the most recent season of “Love Island USA” dominated the platform and pop culture at large this summer: “FOMO. People did not want to miss out on the social aspects,” Strauss said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Markets, as of late, move on FOMO. So if you were bearish most of the year, you’re going to be inclined to buy in now, which means that this beast of a strategy is going to keep any declines from here on out short-lived and shallow,” Singh said in comments shared with MarketWatch via email.

Read more on MarketWatch

Sick of the FOMO, and wanting to keep his career options open, Robert decided to apply to Nottingham Trent to study business.

Read more on BBC

WSJ: How much of leaders’ enthusiasm for, and investments in, AI is looking over your shoulder at competitors and FOMO?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Chris Ryan, CEO of Ryan Investments in Aspen, Colo., says much of the rally since April has been fueled by FOMO, or fear of missing out.

Read more on Barron's

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.