flash mob

or flash·mob

[ flash-mob ]

noun

1. a group of people mobilized by social media to meet in a public place for the purpose of doing an unusual or entertaining activity of short duration:

   The flash mob brought wide smiles to the faces of commuters waiting for their train.

2. a group of teenagers who have contacted each other by cell phone and social media and gather in an area to trash it or to mug and beat passersby.

verb (used with object)

, flash mobbed, flash mob·bing.

1. to crowd around (a place or person) in a flash mob:

   Dancing teenagers flash mobbed the store.

2. to commit violence against (a place or person) in a flash mob:

   The mayor imposed a curfew on all males under the age of 18 after two blocks of downtown Philadelphia were flash mobbed and severely damaged.

verb (used without object)

, flash mobbed, flash mob·bing.

1. to organize or take part in a flash mob.

flash mob

noun

1. a group of people coordinated by email and social media to meet to perform some predetermined action at a particular place and time and then disperse quickly

Derived Forms

• ˈflashˌmobbing, noun

Other Words From

• flash mobber flash mobster noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of flash mob¹

2000–05; flash in the sense of ‘quick'; on the model of smart mob

Example Sentences

All three named suspects are described by prosecutors as being in charge of the flash mob group.

From Los Angeles Times

Three people were charged for allegedly robbing the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center as part of a flash mob that made off with more than $90,000 in merchandise.

From Los Angeles Times

A separate flash mob robbery at the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center took place in August 2023 when a group of about 50 people robbed the mall’s Nordstrom store.

From Los Angeles Times

At least three parents turned their children in to the Los Angeles Police Department for their involvement in multiple flash mob robberies at 7-Eleven stores across the city this summer, according to officials.

From Los Angeles Times

An opening ceremony that includes a flash mob on the 405, a parade of food trucks down Hollywood Boulevard and dancing water fountains in Echo Park Lake?

From Los Angeles Times