FOMO

American  

[foh-moh] / ˈfoʊ moʊ /

Or fomo

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.

---

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

"Most Chinese people are quite studious and forward-looking, so when confronted with new things, they might have stronger feelings" of so-called FOMO, he said.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

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

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

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

From Slate • Oct. 16, 2024

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 • Oct. 3, 2024