YOLO

American  

[yoh-loh] / ˈyoʊ loʊ /

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.

Etymology

Origin of YOLO

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

Example Sentences

Stephanie Sala felt last year had a YOLO, or “you only live once,” feel to it.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 16, 2022

"YOLO" is an acronym that stands for the saying "you only live once."

From Fox News • Jun. 26, 2021

All the kids are saying YOLO, You Only Live Once, well, you only Pope once,” Ryan Krill, president of the Cape May Brewery, told Fox 17.

From The Guardian • Sep. 18, 2015

But while it’s often taken to be something like a 1930s version of YOLO, that kind of carpe diem economics has nothing to do with what Keynes was actually writing about.

From Slate • May 6, 2013

"YOLO," an acronym meaning "you only live once," was named Least Likely to Succeed.

From New York Times • Jan. 7, 2013