FOMO

American

[foh-moh] / ˈfoʊ moʊ /

Or fomo

noun

Slang.

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.

Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of FOMO

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Watching the clip afterward, I felt real FOMO.

From Slate

But the fear of missing out, or “FOMO,” that comes with disconnecting can be equally daunting, some say.

From Los Angeles Times

FOMO, or fear of missing out, suddenly shifted to get me out as the previously extreme upward momentum in those asset classes suddenly reversed.

From Barron's

Wagner: Greed shows up as “FOMO” — “fear of missing out.”

From MarketWatch

“While gold remains the ultimate hedge against inflation, fiscal debt concerns, and geopolitical risks, silver continues to be the main driver of the rally, fueled by FOMO, strong momentum, limited liquidity, and robust Chinese demand,” said Saxo Bank’s head of commodity strategy, Ole Hansen.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023