YOLO
initialism
you only live once
What does YOLO mean?
YOLO is an abbreviation of “you only live once,” an expression used as justification for or in support of doing something carefree one normally wouldn’t do (because of expense, danger, risk of seeming foolish, etc.)
Examples of YOLO
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, USA Today, 27 May 2025
Susan Cheever writes about the YOLO urgency of a one night stand in her standout essay “Sex With a Stranger” …
—I’m 18 days social media sober. While I haven’t started meditating or hiking regularly or anything like that, I am making a conscious effort to try and remember that when I feel as though I’m missing out on something, I’m actually being absurd. I’m 22 years old. This should be the time when I do all the things I’ve always wanted to in my post-college life—not watch other people do them on the Internet or even obsess over how I can advertise my own activities and achievements. YOLO, and all that...right?
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Where does YOLO come from?
The phrase “you only live once” has been traced back to the 1800s. In a deep dive by journalist Alyssa Bereznak, “An Oral History of YOLO, the Word That Lived Too Long,” published by Vanity Fair in 2013, the initialism is dated to the 1990s, and several theories are put forth as to who is responsible it (or for popularizing it), including Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.
The Grateful Dead ranch used to be called Mickey’s Ranch, or the Grateful Dead Ranch, or something like that. I didn’t want any of that. So we immediately named it YOLO. It’s a very special place and a four-letter word that really describes the attitude and everything pretty much behind it.
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How is YOLO used?
Sometimes as an interjection, sometimes as an adjective, but feel free to use it however you want. YOLO.
