you only live once
used often as an expression to justify or support doing something without concern for the possible negative consequences
I'm not stressing about sullying a legacy that's far from spotless as it is. YOLO!Ben Lindbergh
The most common habit among my friends is making big, impulsive purchases on credit and worrying about them later. … When asked what motivates these purchases, the answers I got all had a similar YOLO attitude.Kofi Mframa
[Professor Jonathan] Zittrain said the "YOLO model" is driven by founders and VCs [=venture capitalists] who will try anything quickly: Launch an idea, see if it sticks, and if the company collapses, just move on to the next startup. If it succeeds, he said, they cash in.Lakshmi Varanasi

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“YOLO.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/YOLO. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.

Last Updated: - Entry added
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster