YOLO

[yoh-loh]

interjection

1. You only live once! (used especially to rationalize impulsive or reckless behavior).

   I bought those expensive shoes I've been eying—YOLO!

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in impulsive or reckless behavior with this sort of rationalization.

   We’ve been YOLOing all night.

Word History and Origins

Origin of YOLO¹

First recorded in 1995–2000; but popularized by the Canadian rapper Drake in his song “The Motto”

Example Sentences

Bourne, an anti-LGBTQ+ activist based in Yolo County, said she disagrees with the district’s policies that allow transgender students to choose the bathrooms and locker rooms that they use.

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Sisson said that coronavirus levels are high in the wastewater of both Sacramento and West Sacramento, one of the most populous cities in Yolo County.

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For other areas of Yolo County, including UC Davis and Woodland, where viral levels in wastewater are considered “medium,” Sisson said she recommends that people wear masks around others indoors “if they are 65 or older, have a weakened immune system, have an underlying medical condition that puts them at a greater risk of severe COVID-19, or spend time around people who fall into these categories.”

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The matter was investigated by the district attorney’s offices in Riverside, Yolo, San Joaquin and San Bernadino counties, among others.

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Yolo County officials want the state attorney general’s office to join the investigation into a deadly fireworks explosion at a pyrotechnic company due to what many locals see as a potential conflict of interest after it was revealed that two Yolo County Sheriff’s Office employees owned the property where the company caught fire, killing seven people.

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