informal
: fear of missing out : fear of not being included in something (such as an interesting or enjoyable activity) that others are experiencing
If anyone in history should have died from FOMO, it would be Emily Dickinson, an agoraphobe who virtually never left her house …—
O. The Oprah Magazine
O. The Oprah MagazineIn 2018, I was in Rome for Thanksgiving—the first time I had been out of the country for a major holiday. My family never felt so far away, and all I wanted was to be home. This was dramatic, of course, brought on by end-of-semester stress and strong FOMO.—Gretchen Wright
compare jomo
Gretchen WrightExamples of FOMO in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mike Krieger, the millennial founder who created Instagram with Kevin Systrom and is now chief product officer at Anthropic, said businesses’ rapid adoption of new technology was fueled by a fear of missing out (FOMO).
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
Were a few days of apprehensive action enough to reload the rally for a true year-end FOMO ramp?
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
When that happens, people feel compelled to see a film in its opening weekend — or face some serious FOMO.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025
Teach media literacy Managing social media FOMO begins with discussing the truth about what your kid is seeing online.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 19 Sep. 2025
Many deployments are premature, fueled more by fear of missing out (FOMO) than strategy.
—Farah Ayadi, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
The calculus was that Washington would either bless both deals or neither, leaving CEOs free to give in to their FOMO.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 July 2025
The abundance of global design fairs can make for some serious FOMO.
—Sheila Kim, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2025
Here's how to navigate your social life with migraine, from sharing potential triggers to dealing with FOMO.
—Cathy Cassata, Health, 10 June 2025
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Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
Were a few days of apprehensive action enough to reload the rally for a true year-end FOMO ramp?
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
When that happens, people feel compelled to see a film in its opening weekend — or face some serious FOMO.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025
Teach media literacy Managing social media FOMO begins with discussing the truth about what your kid is seeing online.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 19 Sep. 2025
Many deployments are premature, fueled more by fear of missing out (FOMO) than strategy.
—Farah Ayadi, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
The calculus was that Washington would either bless both deals or neither, leaving CEOs free to give in to their FOMO.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 July 2025
The abundance of global design fairs can make for some serious FOMO.
—Sheila Kim, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2025
Here's how to navigate your social life with migraine, from sharing potential triggers to dealing with FOMO.
—Cathy Cassata, Health, 10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“FOMO.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/FOMO. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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