English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com

YOLO

The origin and history of YOLO.

Etymology

An acronym for "you only live once," a phrase dating back to the 19th century; the acronym itself was popularized around 2011 by the rapper Drake and entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016.

· First attested 2011

Class of 2011

YOLO first entered the language around 2011. Other words from the same year:

See the full Class of 2011 →
← Back to the full definition of YOLO
Etymology: FreeDict original editorial.