YOLO

See also: yolo, Yolo, and Y.O.L.O.

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

The phrase "you only live once" dates to the 19th century according to research by Katherine Martin, head of U.S. Dictionaries at Oxford University Press.[1] It saw a steady increase of usage from 1940 to 2000.[1] Ben Zimmer, lexicographer, found the earliest usage from 1993 in a trademark filed for YOLO gear with "you only live once" in small lettering. [1]

YOLO was entered into the Oxford English Dictionary as a word in 2016. [2]

Pronunciation
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈjoʊ.loʊ/
  • Rhymes: -əʊləʊ

Phrase

YOLO

  1. (slang) you only live once, i.e. expressing the view that one should make the most of the present moment.
    Making this cake mix eleven years past the expiration date, because YOLO!

Translations

See also

References
  1. Alyssa Bereznak, "An Oral History of YOLO, the Word That Lived Too Long", Vanity Fair, February 5, 2013
  2. "Moobs and YOLO among new words in Oxford English Dictionary", BBC News, September 12, 2016
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