# YOLO

Pronunciation: say "YOH-loh" US /ˈjoʊloʊ/, UK /ˈjəʊləʊ/

## Phrase

1. Acronym of you only live once. *(slang)* — Acronym of you only live once, i.e. expressing the view that one should make the most of the present moment.
   - Simple: Acronym of you only live once. Say it to explain doing something bold or fun right now.
   - _She signed up for the skydiving course on a whim, figuring YOLO._
   - _They blew their savings on front-row concert tickets, all in the name of YOLO._

## Origin

YOLO is an acronym for the phrase "you only live once," which itself dates back to the 19th century and grew in use from 1940 to 2000. According to lexicographer Ben Zimmer, the acronym first appeared in 1993 in a trademark for YOLO gear, and it was popularized around 2011 by Canadian rapper Drake before being added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/yolo (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).